Armed with the significant changes made during and after WWII, civil rights activity culminated during the period from 1955 to 1965.

The period between 1965 and 1980 saw black Americans shift the civil rights movement in goals and tactics and recognize some significant gains. As with other periods, these gains were tempered by white backlash and retreat. Even after his death, Malcolm X proved a great influence on the emerging "black power" movement of the late 1960s. The civil rights movement in the 1970s moved away from direct action tactics and more toward the electoral process as a way of change. The closing of the twentieth century saw remarkable progress for African Americans even as part of the community remained mire in poverty and suffering.