March Against Fear: James Meredith’s ill-fated attempt in 1966 to defy white
violence by walking alone through Mississippi.
March on Washington: This demonstration for black jobs and freedom on
28 August 1963 was the largest yet in US history.
Marxism: A political philosophy that opposes racism and favors socialism to
prevent worker exploitation.
Massive Resistance: The white South’s refusal to comply with Brown’s desegre-
gation mandate.
Miscegenation: Marriage or cohabitation between men and women of differ-
ent races.
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party: At the 1964 national Democratic
convention, this mainly black contingent challenged the legitimacy of the
all-white state delegation.
Mississippi Plan: The violent restoration of southern white governments after
Reconstruction.
Molotov Cocktail: A homemade bomb used by the KKK against black activists.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: The first large-scale protest of the modern civil rights
movement.
Montgomery Improvement Association: The organization that coordinated the
Montgomery bus boycott.
Nashville Student Movement: The largest, best-organized group to conduct
nonviolent sit-ins in 1960.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The oldest, largest,
and best-known civil rights organization whose legal and political efforts
resulted in major successes in desegregating American society.
Nonviolent Resistance: The major civil rights strategy of achieving social
change, mainly by employing boycotts, sit-ins, and civil disobedience.
Operation Breadbasket: SCLC’s selective buying campaign to force white busi-
nesses to hire black workers.
People United to Save Humanity: A Chicago-based group that boycotted large
corporations discriminating against blacks.
Plessy v. Ferguson(1896): The Supreme Court decision that permitted racial
segregation.
Poll Tax: A tax levied by southern states to disfranchise blacks and poor
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