The Civil Rights Movement in the United States began in the mid-1950s as a nationwide effort to achieve racial equality and end segregation. A key catalyst for the modern movement was the December 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This movement utilized various forms of protest such as sit-ins, boycotts, freedom rides, and marches, and was led by figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early roots trace back to post-World War II activism and legal challenges, but the mid-1950s marked the movement's active and organized phase that pushed for major civil rights reforms.