This contribution to Salem Press's Magill's Choice series is a broadly conceived survey of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. In 319 alphabetically arranged essays, The Civil Rights Movement examines racial issues in all their manifestations, providing a strong emphasis on the role of African Americans—who, by all measures, were at the heart of the Civil Rights movement and provided its primary leaders.

Among books published on the Civil Rights movement, the breadth of this set may be unique. Its articles, ranging in length from 200 to 2,500 words, examine the Civil Rights movement in all its dimensions. The forces underlying the modern Civil Rights movement began taking shape well before the 1950's, when it developed into a powerful and dramatic national force that could not be ignored. In addition to the many articles in these volumes specifically addressing major aspects of African American history, nearly one hundred articles examine what lay behind the prejudice and discrimination that African Americans—and members of other racial and ethnic minorities—faced. To explain the concepts behind this reference work, it is helpful to review what is meant by the phrase "Civil Rights movement."

Articles in this set are arranged alphabetically under simple, straightforward titles. Additional help in finding information is provided by extensive cross-references listed at the end of each essay and by a comprehensive index. The 138 longest articles contain up-to-date bibliographical notes on core sources. Additional bibliographical material can be found in a comprehensive bibliographical appendix at the end of volume 2. Other appendices include a directory of profiles of eighty leading figures in civil rights history, the complete text of the U.S. Constitution, and a time line.