The Civil Rights Movement aimed to outlaw racial discrimination against African Americans and restore their voting rights in Southern states from 1955 to 1968. Major events included Rosa Parks sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, violating segregation laws. The 381-day boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr resulted in the desegregation of Montgomery's buses. King became a prominent leader in the movement, organizing protests like the Freedom Rides which challenged segregation on interstate buses traveling through the South.