The main purpose of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s was to achieve equality and end racial discrimination against African Americans. Activists sought to dismantle systemic racism ingrained in American society through various means, including nonviolent protests, legal challenges, and grassroots organizing. The movement aimed to secure voting rights, access to public facilities, equitable education, and an end to segregation. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations such as the NAACP played crucial roles in raising awareness and pressuring the government to enact significant civil rights legislation, ultimately reshaping social dynamics in the United States.