Take our civil rights leaders quiz to honor the visionaries who transformed America through courage conviction and strategic brilliance. From leading civil rights attorneys who dismantled legal segregation through the courts, to the key Black women activists who championed grassroots organizing, these leaders used different approaches to advance the same cause: freedom and equality for African Americans. Some worked through litigation while others led mass movements. Some advocated nonviolence, while others insisted on self defense. Together they created a multifaceted movement that reshaped the nation. This Black person quiz will test your knowledge of these leaders and events and is especially useful now in an era where some people are trying to eradicate the African American presence in US history.
How well do you know the architects of change who challenged Jim Crow organized communities and fought for voting rights? Can you identify the lawyers who argued landmark cases, the organizers who mobilized communities, and the leaders who inspired millions? This quiz explores both famous figures and unsung heroes who dedicated their lives to the struggle. Whether you’re studying civil rights history, honoring Black excellence, or deepening your understanding of social justice leaders and movements this quiz celebrates the leaders who refused to accept injustice.
Take the Civil Rights Leaders Quiz
#1. Who was the first African American Supreme Court Justice?
Thurgood Marshall was confirmed by the Senate in 1967 becoming the 96th person to hold the position and a champion of civil rights on the bench.
#2. Who was known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement for her grassroots organizing?
Ella Baker worked behind the scenes for decades mentoring young activists and emphasizing grassroots leadership over charismatic individual leaders.
#3. Who led the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream speech?
A Philip Randolph the labor leader and civil rights activist was the chief organizer of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
#4. Who was the first Black person elected to the US Senate in the 20th century?
Edward Brooke of Massachusetts was elected to the Senate in 1966 becoming the first Black senator since Reconstruction.
#5. Who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference?
King founded the SCLC in 1957 to coordinate nonviolent civil rights activism across the South and became its first president.
#6. Which Supreme Court Justice wrote the majority opinion in Brown v Board of Education?
Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the unanimous decision declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
#7. After Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955, which of the following actions helped immediately launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
E.D. Nixon, a local civil rights leader and union organizer had long prepared for a test case and moved quickly to coordinate the boycott’s launch.
#8. Who was the architect of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
While Dr. King and Rosa Parks became national symbols, it was E.D. Nixon who organized the boycott’s launch, selected Parks as the test case, and built the infrastructure that sustained the movement.
#9. Which civil rights lawyer argued the landmark Brown v Board of Education case?
As chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Marshall successfully argued that school segregation was unconstitutional before the Supreme Court in 1954.
#10. Which civil rights activist organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott alongside Martin Luther King?
E D Nixon was a Pullman porter and NAACP leader who bailed Rosa Parks out of jail and helped organize the 381 day boycott that launched King to prominence.
#11. Which leader advocated for Black nationalism and was a member of the Nation of Islam?
Malcolm X was a powerful voice for Black nationalism and self defense serving as a minister and spokesman for the Nation of Islam before his assassination in 1965.
#12. Which organization did Thurgood Marshall work for before becoming a Supreme Court Justice?
Marshall served as chief counsel for the NAACP LDF where he won 29 out of 32 cases before the Supreme Court including Brown v Board of Education.
#13. The leader of which labor union helped lay the groundwork for the Montgomery Bus Boycott through decades of voter registration and civic organizing?
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, led locally in Montgomery by a longtime organizer, provided the infrastructure and discipline that powered early civil rights campaign in Montgomery.
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