Americans' Memories of the Civil Rights Movement

Our recent survey found deep appreciation among Americans for the civil rights movement and broad support for teaching about the movement and its legacy, despite polarized debates about race and the teaching of American history in today’s public discourse.

Key Takeaways

• Most Americans highly value and celebrate the civil rights movement and see it as advancing freedom and equality for the country. 
  • The movement is also widely seen as an important example of Americans exercising their right to protest (80%). 
• Americans appear to lack robust knowledge and shared memories of the era. 
  • When asked to list important events from the civil rights movement, many Americans can only identify around three events or individuals. The most commonly cited events or figures include Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Brown v Broad of Education, Montgomery March, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the March on Washington.  Americans are less likely to recall other activists or campaigns, or events where efforts of the movement encountered pushback or violence. 
• There is a broad agreement on the importance of teaching more about the history of the civil rights movement.  
  • Most Americans say it is important for students to learn about the progress made by civil rights activists, as well as the obstacles they faced. This consensus extends across the political spectrum.