Final answer:
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but segregation persisted. The Supreme Court's Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld 'separate but equal,' later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education. The NAACP and other civil rights actions led to legislation that dismantled racial discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Plessy v. Ferguson and Civil Rights Movement
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was passed in 1865, ending slavery in the United States. However, the discriminatory policy of segregation saw public policy continue to enforce racial inequality. The landmark Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896 upheld these segregationist policies under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which maintained systemic injustice towards African Americans.
Despite this setback, activists and organizations such as the NAACP fought against segregation. Notable victories in the fight for equal rights culminated in the 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, which reversed the Plessy decision and declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This pivotal moment laid the foundational legal groundwork toward dismantling segregation across the United States.
Legislation following this decision, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Civil Rights Act of 1968, further strengthened civil rights, banning discrimination and ending disenfranchisement based on racial lines. This progress was supported through various forms of civil resistance, from boycotts to protests, showcasing the organized effort it took to overcome institutionalized racial discrimination.