<human>:  Give an overview of the American civil rights movement
<bot>: The American civil rights movement was a decades-long struggle for racial equality in the United States. It began in the 1950s with the Montgomery Bus Boycott to end racial segregation on public transportation, and continued into the 1960s with peaceful protests and marches like the March on Washington in 1963, which sought to secure civil and economic rights for African Americans. Through the activism of leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., the federal government passed historic civil rights legislation at the end of the decade, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed segregation in public spaces and ensured voting rights for African Americans. This led to some legal protections for racial minorities, though systemic racism and discrimination persisted. The civil rights movement continued to grow and gain more successes throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and continues to be a powerful force for change in the present day.