The Civil Rights Movement was a popular historical movement that worked to allow African Americans to have equal rights and privileges as U.S. citizens. The movement can be defined as a fight against racial segregation and discrimination that began in the 1950s. Although the origins of the civil rights movement date back to the 1800s, the movement reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. African American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement from the local to the national level. Many actions of the civil rights movement focused through legal means such as negotiations, appeals, and nonviolent protests. When we think of leaders or icons of the movement we usually think of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Although Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are important figures, their participation in the movement was minimal compared to other unknown or forgotten figures . My Soul Is Rested by Howell Raines contains recollections of voices from followers of the civil rights movement. These voices include students, lawyers, journalists and civil rights activists. Although the followers of the movement were lesser known, the impact they had has shaped the society we live in today. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the highlights of the civil rights movement. The Rosa Parks case challenged Jim Crow laws and segregation laws. Rosa Parks became an influential icon following the movement, but her involvement was unintentional. With ED Nixon's help, Rosa Parks is who she is today. ED Nixon was a bus porter and civil rights leader who worked with Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. to start the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He also held a leadership role in the National Association for the Advancement... middle of paper... continues to this day. The black community may have defeated segregation, but it is still resented by many groups of people. The Ku Klux Klan still exists today and can hold meetings even though numbers have dwindled. People of the Middle East feel resentment after the September 11 incident and are victims of racism all over the world. The problem with society is that racism will always exist and will be passed down from generation to generation. The causes are not fully known, but they are part of human nature. The civil rights movement was a memorable event for the United States. It all started with the Rosa Parks incident and ended with the outlawing of segregation. My Soul Is Rested contains a vast collection of voices from individuals who lived through the civil rights movement. Many of these individuals include students, ministers, lawyers, and other professions. The book too