Origins

Throughout human history rights have been fought for and secured against the will of others. A civil society emerges from that landscape once a common self interest has been identified amongst a population, and resources are such that people appease their desire to conquer and dominate one another. Civil rights emerge as a guarantee by such a society that commonly owned resources can be equally accessed and that free will can be exhibited to the extent that one does not infringe upon the civil rights of another.

The reality of this evolution is that inequalities and a lack of rights have plagued the globe for much of our history. Civilized nations deny rights to their citizens, less that civilized nations welcome warfare and propaganda, and fear of the dominance of others leads to the denial of rights that are said to be guaranteed. Often minority ethnic groups and women are the target of such denials and prejudices, leading to strong cultural divisions over time. This has been true in the United States amidst passionate movements, cultural evolutions, and legal alignments.

Timeline

• Magna Carta Libertatum

  15 June 1215

• Bill of Rights

  15 December 1791

• Executive Order 9981

  26 July 1948

• Brown v. Board of Education

  17 May 1954

• The courage and recognition of Rosa Parks

  1 December 1955

• Meeting of civil rights leaders in Atlanta, Georgia

  10 January 1957

• The courage and recognition of the "Little Rock Nine"

  4 September 1957

• The Civil Rights Act of 1957

  9 September 1957

• The courage and recognition of four college students in Greensboro, North Carolina

  1 February 1960

• The bigotry of Alabama Governor George C. Wallace

  11 June 1963

• The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

  28 August 1963

• A bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama

  15 September 1963

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964

  2 July 1964

• The assassination of Malcolm X

  21 February 1965

• The Selma to Montgomery March

  7 March 1965

• The Voting Rights Act of 1965

  6 August 1965

• The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

  4 April 1968

• The Civil Rights Act of 1968

  11 April 1968