Civil Rights Movement Trivia
Civil Rights Movement trivia explores a pivotal era in American history, from the fight against segregation and voter suppression to the campaigns that transformed federal law. Expect questions that touch on figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, major moments like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, and the lasting legacy of the movement.
Easy Civil Rights Movement Trivia
13 questions
These easy Civil Rights Movement trivia questions are great for beginners and kids around age 12 and under.
Question 1
In what year did the Supreme Court decide Brown v. Board of Education?
- A.1955
- B.1956
- C.1954
- D.1953
Answer: 1954
Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954.
Question 2
Who was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 after refusing to give up her bus seat?
- A.Rosa Parks
- B.Ella Baker
- C.Diane Nash
- D.Fannie Lou Hamer
Answer: Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery in 1955 after refusing to give up her seat.
Question 3
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in which city and state?
- A.Selma, Alabama
- B.Birmingham, Alabama
- C.Jackson, Mississippi
- D.Montgomery, Alabama
Answer: Montgomery, Alabama
The boycott began in Montgomery, Alabama.
Question 4
Which civil rights leader helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
- A.James Farmer
- B.Martin Luther King Jr
- C.Medgar Evers
- D.Roy Wilkins
Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Question 5
The Little Rock Nine integrated what school in 1957?
- A.Shaw University
- B.Fisk University
- C.University of Mississippi
- D.Central High School
Answer: Central High School
The Little Rock Nine integrated Central High School in Little Rock in 1957.
Question 6
The lunch counter sit-in movement began in Greensboro in what state?
- A.North Carolina
- B.South Carolina
- C.Virginia
- D.Tennessee
Answer: North Carolina
The sit-in movement began in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960.
Question 7
How many Black college students began the Greensboro sit-ins at a Woolworth lunch counter?
- A.4
- B.2
- C.3
- D.5
Answer: 4
Four Black college students began the Greensboro sit-ins.
Question 8
In what year was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee founded?
- A.1963
- B.1960
- C.1958
- D.1961
Answer: 1960
SNCC was founded in 1960.
Question 9
Freedom Riders challenged segregated interstate travel in which year?
- A.1960
- B.1962
- C.1961
- D.1959
Answer: 1961
The Freedom Riders challenged segregated interstate travel in 1961.
Question 10
Who integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962?
- A.Bayard Rustin
- B.James Meredith
- C.John Lewis
- D.James Farmer
Answer: James Meredith
James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962.
Question 11
The March on Washington took place in what year?
- A.1961
- B.1962
- C.1964
- D.1963
Answer: 1963
The March on Washington took place in 1963.
Question 12
What was the title of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech at the March on Washington?
- A.We Shall Overcome
- B.Black Power
- C.I Have a Dream
- D.Letter from Birmingham Jail
Answer: I Have a Dream
King delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington.
Question 13
The Civil Rights Act was signed into law in what year?
- A.1964
- B.1963
- C.1965
- D.1966
Answer: 1964
The Civil Rights Act became law in 1964.
Civil Rights Movement Family Trivia
12 questions
These family Civil Rights Movement trivia questions are built for mixed-age game nights, classrooms, and groups.
Question 1
Name the woman who refused to surrender her bus seat in Montgomery nine months before Rosa Parks did.?
- A.Septima Clark
- B.Rosa Parks
- C.Claudette Colvin
- D.Diane Nash
Answer: Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin resisted bus segregation in Montgomery nine months before Rosa Parks.
Question 2
Who helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee?
- A.Anne Moody
- B.Billie Holiday
- C.Claudette Colvin
- D.Ella Baker
Answer: Ella Baker
Ella Baker helped found SNCC.
Question 3
Which organizer was a chief planner of the 1963 March on Washington?
- A.John Lewis
- B.Bayard Rustin
- C.Fred Shuttlesworth
- D.James Meredith
Answer: Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was a chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.
Question 4
Who served as executive secretary of the NAACP during much of the movement?
- A.Roy Wilkins
- B.Whitney Young Jr.
- C.James Farmer
- D.Alex Haley
Answer: Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins served is executive secretary of the NAACP during much of the movement.
Question 5
Which leader headed the National Urban League in the 1960s?
Answer: Whitney Young Jr.
Whitney Young Jr. led the National Urban League in the 1960s.
Question 6
Who argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court?
- A.Bayard Rustin
- B.James Farmer
- C.Thurgood Marshall
- D.Martin Luther King Jr.
Answer: Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall argued Brown before the Supreme Court.
Question 7
Which activist was a key leader in the Nashville sit-in movement?
- A.Septima Clark
- B.Anne Moody
- C.Diane Nash
- D.Ella Baker
Answer: Diane Nash
Diane Nash was a key leader in the Nashville sit-in movement.
Question 8
Who founded the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942?
- A.James Farmer
- B.Roy Wilkins
- C.John Lewis
- D.Fred Shuttlesworth
Answer: James Farmer
James Farmer founded CORE in 1942.
Question 9
Which educator became known for citizenship schools teaching literacy and civic skills?
- A.Anne Moody
- B.Septima Clark
- C.Ella Baker
- D.Fannie Lou Hamer
Answer: Septima Clark
Septima Clark became known for citizenship schools that taught literacy and civic skills.
Question 10
Fannie Lou Hamer helped found which political organization in 1964?
- A.20th Television
- B.MFDP
- C.NAACP
- D.SNCC
Answer: Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Hamer helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964.
Question 11
Freedom Summer in 1964 focused on Black voter registration in which state?
- A.Arkansas
- B.Mississippi
- C.Alabama
- D.Georgia
Answer: Mississippi
Freedom Summer focused on Black voter registration in Mississippi in 1964.
Question 12
What does SNCC stand for?
- A.interns
- B.Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
- C.Student National Community Coalition
- D.intern
Answer: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
SNCC stands for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Fun Civil Rights Movement Trivia
13 questions
These fun Civil Rights Movement trivia questions highlight surprising moments and playful facts for game-night groups.
Question 1
Fill in the place: the Greensboro sit-in began at an F.W. ____ lunch counter.?
- A.Target
- B.Woolworth
- C.Kress
- D.Walmart
Answer: Woolworth
The Greensboro sit-in began at an F.W. Woolworth lunch counter.
Question 2
The Little Rock Nine attended school in which Arkansas city?
- A.Albany
- B.Montgomery
- C.Oxford
- D.Little Rock
Answer: Little Rock
The Little Rock Nine attended Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Question 3
Where was the March on Washington held?
- A.Supreme Court
- B.Lincoln Memorial
- C.U.S. Capitol
- D.Washington Monument
Answer: Lincoln Memorial
The March on Washington was held at the Lincoln Memorial.
Question 4
Which repeated phrase closes the famous ending of King's 1963 speech?
- A.I am a man
- B.Let freedom ring
- C.We shall overcome
- D.Black Power
Answer: Let freedom ring
The famous ending of King's 1963 speech repeats 'Let freedom ring.'.
Question 5
What song did civil rights marchers often sing?
- A.This Land Is Your Land
- B.A Change Is Gonna Come
- C.We Shall Overcome
- D.Lift Every Voice and Sing
Answer: We Shall Overcome
Civil rights marchers often sang 'We Shall Overcome.'.
Question 6
Billie Holiday popularized which anti-lynching song?
- A.Mississippi Goddam
- B.People Get Ready
- C.Respect
- D.Strange Fruit
Answer: Strange Fruit
Billie Holiday popularized the anti-lynching song 'Strange Fruit.'.
Question 7
How old was John Lewis when he spoke at the March on Washington in 1963?
- A.19
- B.27
- C.31
- D.23
Answer: 23
John Lewis was 23 years old when he spoke at the March on Washington.
Question 8
What landmark marked the end of the 1965 Selma march route in Montgomery?
- A.Alabama State Capitol
- B.Lincoln Memorial
- C.Brown Chapel AME Church
- D.Edmund Pettus Bridge
Answer: Alabama State Capitol
The 1965 Selma march route ended at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.
Question 9
The Albany Movement was centered in which Georgia city?
- A.Atlanta, Georgia
- B.Macon, Georgia
- C.Savannah, Georgia
- D.Albany, Georgia
Answer: Albany, Georgia
The Albany Movement was centered in Albany, Georgia.
Question 10
Who was a leading civil rights organizer in Birmingham, Alabama?
- A.Roy Wilkins
- B.Alex Haley
- C.Fred Shuttlesworth
- D.James Farmer
Answer: Fred Shuttlesworth
Fred Shuttlesworth was a leading civil rights organizer in Birmingham.
Question 11
Which four-letter acronym is commonly used for the Congress of Racial Equality?
Answer: CORE
The Congress of Racial Equality is commonly known is CORE.
Question 12
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is commonly known by what acronym, often pronounced 'snick'?
Answer: SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is commonly known is SNCC, pronounced 'snick.'.
Question 13
Freedom Riders traveled together on what kind of buses?
- A.city trolleys
- B.subway trains
- C.interstate buses
- D.school buses
Answer: interstate buses
The Freedom Riders included Black and white activists traveling together on interstate buses.
Funny Civil Rights Movement Trivia
13 questions
These funny Civil Rights Movement trivia questions highlight playful moments, odd facts, and inside jokes.
Question 1
Before the world knew him as MLK Jr., what was Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth name?
- A.Martin Michael King
- B.Michael King Jr
- C.Martin King Jr.
- D.Michael Luther King
Answer: Michael King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth name was Michael King Jr.
Question 2
Who later changed both his own name and his son's name to Martin Luther?
- A.Roy Wilkins
- B.James Farmer
- C.Martin Luther King Sr
- D.Michael King Jr.
Answer: Martin Luther King Sr.
King's father, originally Michael King, later changed both names to Martin Luther.
Question 3
Before becoming world-famous, Rosa Parks worked as what?
- A.seamstress
- B.teacher
- C.nurse
- D.reporter
Answer: seamstress
Rosa Parks worked is a seamstress before she became famous in the bus boycott.
Question 4
Name one of the Greensboro Four: which activist appears in the list of the group's members?
- A.Ezell Blair Jr
- B.Bayard Rustin
- C.Thurgood Marshall
- D.Fred Shuttlesworth
Answer: Ezell Blair Jr.
One of the Greensboro Four was Ezell Blair Jr.
Question 5
Which university did Diane Nash attend in Nashville?
- A.Fisk University
- B.Shaw University
- C.Howard University
- D.Tuskegee Institute
Answer: Fisk University
Diane Nash attended Fisk University in Nashville.
Question 6
Ella Baker's advice in a nutshell favored what kind of leadership over one superstar figure?
- A.grassroots leadership
- B.military leadership
- C.corporate leadership
- D.judicial leadership
Answer: grassroots leadership
Ella Baker urged young activists to rely on grassroots leadership rather than one charismatic figure.
Question 7
Bayard Rustin helped organize which 1947 action that came before the Freedom Rides?
- A.Journey of Reconciliation
- B.March Against Fear
- C.Freedom Summer
- D.Poor People's Campaign
Answer: Journey of Reconciliation
Bayard Rustin had earlier helped organize the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation.
Question 8
What organization coordinated the Montgomery bus boycott?
Answer: Montgomery Improvement Association
The Montgomery Improvement Association coordinated the bus boycott in Montgomery.
Question 9
When a young MLK joined the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955, what office did he hold?
- A.president
- B.intern
- C.interns
- D.resident
Answer: president
A young Martin Luther King Jr. became president of the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955.
Question 10
How old was Claudette Colvin when she resisted bus segregation in Montgomery?
- A.17
- B.19
- C.15
- D.13
Answer: 15
Claudette Colvin was 15 years old when she resisted bus segregation in Montgomery.
Question 11
Which Alabama town was the site of a Freedom Riders bus firebombing in 1961?
- A.Greensboro, North Carolina
- B.Anniston, Alabama
- C.Selma, Alabama
- D.Albany, Georgia
Answer: Anniston, Alabama
One Freedom Riders bus was firebombed near Anniston, Alabama, in 1961.
Question 12
James Meredith's 1966 action that began in Memphis was called what?
- A.March Against Fear
- B.Journey of Reconciliation
- C.Freedom Rides
- D.March on Washington
Answer: March Against Fear
James Meredith's 1966 March Against Fear began in Memphis, Tennessee.
Question 13
What slogan did Stokely Carmichael popularize during the 1966 March Against Fear?
- A.Let freedom ring
- B.We Shall Overcome
- C.Freedom Now
- D.Black Power
Answer: Black Power
Stokely Carmichael popularized the slogan 'Black Power' during the 1966 March Against Fear.
Hard Civil Rights Movement Trivia
14 questions
These hard Civil Rights Movement trivia questions are for expert fans who want a real challenge.
Question 1
Brown v. Board of Education overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine from which earlier case in public education?
- A.Boynton v. Virginia
- B.Brown v. Board of Education
- C.Plessy v. Ferguson
- D.Browder v. Gayle
Answer: Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson in public education.
Question 2
What federal court ruling ended bus segregation in Montgomery in 1956?
- A.Boynton v. Virginia
- B.Plessy v. Ferguson
- C.Browder v. Gayle
- D.Brown v. Board of Education
Answer: Browder v. Gayle
In Browder v. Gayle, a federal court ruling ended bus segregation in Montgomery in 1956.
Question 3
Which military unit did President Dwight D. Eisenhower send to Little Rock in 1957?
- A.1st Infantry Division
- B.National Guard
- C.101st Airborne
- D.82nd Airborne
Answer: 101st Airborne
Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock in 1957.
Question 4
President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to enforce integration at what university in 1963?
- A.University of Alabama
- B.University of Mississippi
- C.Shaw University
- D.Fisk University
Answer: University of Alabama
Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to enforce integration at the University of Alabama in 1963.
Question 5
SNCC was formed at which university in Raleigh, North Carolina?
- A.Shaw University
- B.Fisk University
- C.Howard University
- D.Duke University
Answer: Shaw University
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was formed at Shaw University in Raleigh.
Question 6
The Freedom Riders were testing which 1960 Supreme Court ruling against segregation in interstate bus terminal facilities?
- A.Boynton v. Virginia
- B.Brown v. Board of Education
- C.Browder v. Gayle
- D.Plessy v. Ferguson
Answer: Boynton v. Virginia
The Freedom Riders were testing Boynton v. Virginia, a 1960 Supreme Court ruling.
Question 7
Which federal agency issued tougher desegregation rules for interstate travel that took effect in 1961 after pressure from the Freedom Riders?
Answer: Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission issued tougher desegregation rules that took effect in 1961.
Question 8
James Meredith was shot and wounded on the second day of the March Against Fear in what year?
- A.1965
- B.1968
- C.1966
- D.1964
Answer: 1966
James Meredith was shot and wounded on the second day of the 1966 March Against Fear.
Question 9
At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party challenged the seating of what kind of Mississippi delegation?
- A.integrated student delegation
- B.labor delegation
- C.judicial delegation
- D.all-white regular delegation
Answer: all-white regular delegation
The MFDP challenged the seating of Mississippi's all-white regular delegation at the 1964 convention.
Question 10
Fannie Lou Hamer gave nationally televised testimony before the credentials committee in which city in 1964?
- A.Atlantic City
- B.Chicago
- C.Montgomery
- D.Jackson
Answer: Atlantic City
Hamer gave nationally televised testimony in Atlantic City in 1964.
Question 11
Which constitutional amendment, ratified in 1964, banned poll taxes in federal elections?
- A.24th Amendment
- B.14th Amendment
- C.15th Amendment
- D.26th Amendment
Answer: 24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, banned poll taxes in federal elections.
Question 12
The Selma voting rights campaign focused heavily on which Alabama county?
- A.Montgomery County
- B.Shelby County
- C.Dallas County
- D.Jefferson County
Answer: Dallas County
The Selma voting rights campaign focused heavily on Dallas County, Alabama.
Question 13
Whose killing by an Alabama state trooper came during protests that preceded Bloody Sunday?
- A.John Lewis
- B.Jimmie Lee Jackson
- C.Medgar Evers
- D.James Meredith
Answer: Jimmie Lee Jackson
Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed during protests that preceded Bloody Sunday.
Question 14
About how long was the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march?
- A.54 miles
- B.34 miles
- C.44 miles
- D.64 miles
Answer: 54 miles
The 1965 Selma to Montgomery march covered about 54 miles.
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