Civil Rights in Deep South USA
In the years leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the US experienced more social change in the name of civil rights that any other period of American history. Many of these pivotal events occurred in Deep South USA and are memorialised in museums and attractions across the region. Launching January 2018 is the new US Civil Rights Trail taking you on a journey to discover a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice.
US Civil Rights Trail in Deep South USA
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks in the Southern states where activists challenged segregation during the 1950s and 60s to advance social justice. You'll embark on a journey of meaningful discovery and memories, where the past will enrich the present and inspire the future. Read more...
Civil Rights in Alabama
Visit Montgomery where Rosa Parks made her famous stand and a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was immersed in the epic struggle for civil rights in 1955. Follow this fascinating history to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham where freedom marches and rallies that shaped a nation took place.
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Civil Rights in Kentucky
The 1950s and 1960s were pivotal decades for the Civil Rights movement in both the nation and in Kentucky. In one of the movement's highlights in Kentucky, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a march in Frankfort to protest segregation of public places in 1964. These and other inspirational events are recorded at sites across the Commenwealth such as Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the extraordinary Muhammad Ali Center.
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Civil Rights in Louisiana
From the many books and movies of the South, such as 12 Years a Slave and Django Unchained, historical stories of trial, tribulation and triumph emerged from the roots of slavery. The collision and merging of African-American history with Louisiana's Creole, Carribbean and European heritages from the 1700's through the civil rights struggles of the 1950's and 1960's produced a fascinating story and helped lead to the civil rights movement. Visit New Orleans Plantation Country and learn about the slaves who worked on the plantations, the families that owned them, the tragedy, the reality and the emancipation process post-civil war.
Don't miss:
- The Old Galilee Church in Shreveport
- The Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge
Civil Rights in Mississippi
The Mississippi Freedom Trail commemorates the state's civil rights heritage and offers a tour of sites associated with the people and the places that played key roles in the Civil Rights movement. For example, visit the Jackson home of slain civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, and feel inspired by one man's courage.
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Civil Rights in Tennessee
Civil rights history was made in Tennessee. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis has a number of new immersive, interactive exhibits, including more than 40 new films and audio stations, along with enhancements to existing exhibits. A moving testament to the struggle for equality and human rights, the museum is built on the site of the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
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