Six essays capture the drama and conflict of the struggle, covering, among other topics, the origins of the movement, the fight for legal equality, the role of women, and the lasting effects of the protests of the 1950s and 1960s. Ready-reference features include biographical profiles of 20 activists, from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X to Ella Jo Baker and Bayard Rustin, a chronology, bibliography, and photographs.

This work also contains 15 primary documents, including presidential addresses and speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, and George Wallace.