The primary goal of the civil rights movement, which peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, was to end racial discrimination and segregation against African Americans and to secure equal rights under the law. Activists sought to challenge systemic racism and injustices, advocating for voting rights, desegregation of public spaces, and the enforcement of existing civil rights protections. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. employed nonviolent protests and civil disobedience, while legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to dismantle legal barriers to equality. This movement profoundly shaped American society and inspired other struggles for justice worldwide.