Why go
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial offers one point of connection with a struggle that reached into schools, employment and family life. The movement challenged discrimination embedded in law as well as everyday treatment. Understanding those different barriers helps explain why a legislative victory did not resolve every demand for equality.
The full story
The abolition of slavery did not bring equal treatment to African Americans. Racial discrimination remained embedded in laws and institutions, especially in the South, and persisted after World War II. Restrictions on marriage show how far such rules reached into private life. In 1967, the Supreme Court rejected state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. During the 1960s, African American activists and other supporters pressed for change. Martin Luther King Jr. became a central figure in campaigns challenging legal discrimination. Under President Lyndon Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established a major national response. The wider history also includes discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, Jewish immigrants and communities of African, Hispanic and Japanese ancestry. Legal change and lived equality are different questions. Keeping that distinction in view helps connect the movement's achievements with the continuing history of racial inequality and protest.