Top 10 American Civil Rights Activists

Script written by Q.V. Hough

Top 10 American Civil Rights Activists

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are just some rights and freedoms that these people worked toward. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 American civil rights activists.

For this list, we’re focusing specifically on the purveyors of freedom and equality within the United States and those who’ve had a significant impact on national and world culture. And if this is your kind of thing, be sure to check out our list of the Top 10 international civil rights activists.

#10: Rosa Parks

Three months after the shocking murder of Emmett Till in 1955, an African-American woman took a stand for civil rights by refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. The move, her arrest and trial as well as the subsequent bus boycott effectively put Rosa Parks at the forefront of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others. While she wasn’t the first to defy racial segregation, Parks became a prominent voice for human rights around the world and continued on through the decades with an extensive career in politics that had her collaborating with multiple civil rights leaders.

#9: Harvey Milk

The city of San Francisco, California has long been known for its diversity and association with the ‘60s counterculture movement, but it wouldn’t be what it is today without the work of Harvey Milk. By the early ‘70s, the native New Yorker had moved to the Bay area and openly embraced his sexuality while embarking on a political career that would forever change the city’s LGBT community. As the first openly gay person elected to office in California, Harvey Milk’s influence could certainly be felt in 1978 Cali. And though an assassin’s bullet silenced his voice forever, it certainly didn’t silence his spirit or his legacy.

#8: Angela Davis

A radical feminist and a long-time educator, this woman was famously targeted by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan for her political beliefs. Angela Davis is best known for the Marin County courthouse incident involving the Soledad Brothers, who were accused of murdering a prison guard. In the early 1970s, armed teenager Jonathan Jackson stormed the courtroom, which resulted in 4 deaths while Davis was charged with kidnapping and 1st degree murder for purchasing the firearms. She became a fugitive after she fled the state, but after her capture and several months in jail, Davis declared her innocence – and an all-white jury would ultimately find her not guilty as well. While she received the support of various notable figures, it was musicians like The Rolling Stones, John Lennon and Yoko Ono who immortalized the activist through popular music. With her steadfast beliefs and ability to connect, Angela Davis has long been a polarizing figure and prominent civil rights activist.

#7: Cesar Chavez

Born in the American old west town of Yuma, Arizona, he was a Mexican American that transcended perceived myths of his race while ultimately becoming a mythical figure in death. Today, everyone is familiar with the iconic phrase “Yes, we can,” which was adopted by President Barack Obama in 2008. However it was Cesar Chavez who previously made it famous during his 1972 24-day fast in support of the United Farm Workers with the Spanish “Si, se puede.” With a non-violent philosophy and grass roots ideology, Cesar Chavez changed the way of life for endless field workers and established a legacy as a modern day folk hero.

#6: Thurgood Marshall

In 1954, the Brown v. Board Education case ended the segregation of American schools, and it was a 45-year old lawyer that played a prominent role. The late John F. Kennedy would later promote Thurgood Marshall to the Court of Appeals in 1961, and during the turbulent era of social unrest that was the ‘60s, he became the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court, a position which he maintained for nearly 25 years. Some activists have made their mark in history by any means necessary, but it was Marshall who worked within the law to ensure proper rights for those suspected of wrongdoing but perhaps not necessarily guilty of any crime.

#5: Susan B. Anthony

As a teenager, this woman was already fighting for human rights way back in the ‘30s…the 1830s. Incidentally, Susan B. Anthony led campaigns to end slavery long before the American Civil War, and upon Abraham Lincoln’s “emancipation proclamation,” she continued to be a champion for the women’s suffrage movement. More than just a leading figure and supporter of women’s rights, Susan B. Anthony played a crucial role in changing public opinions about gender roles in American society and watched her country literally transform throughout her 86 years.

#4: Frederick Douglass

Many years a slave, forever an American icon of equal rights… Born on a Maryland plantation, the future looked bleak for a young Frederick Douglass, yet he persevered and educated himself through the years. By the age of 20, he managed to escape a life of slavery, and as a free man, his skills began to pay off as his knack for public speaking became evident. Douglas wrote numerous books on his life experiences years before the end of slavery, and upon the advent of a new way of life in America, he became the first African-American to be nominated for Vice President of the United States. Upon his 1895 passing, former slaves like Booker T. Washington carried the torch of freedom.

#3: Malcolm X

Raised in the American Midwest, this man lived a life of petty crime until he found personal freedom through the nation of Islam. In direct opposition to Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement, Malcolm X aligned himself with more radical beliefs in support of African-Americanhuman rights, yet by the late ‘60s, a personal transformation affected his world perspective as a more internal revolution changed his ideologies. Both a minister and one of the greatest orators of his time, people listened when Malcolm X spoke, which made him so incredibly dangerous given the chaos engulfing America. And it was his propensity to speak out that ultimately led to his untimely death. Even so, Malcolm Little’s influence continues to extend throughout the world.

#2: Abraham Lincoln

Like many outspoken civil rights activists, Abraham Lincoln understood that his personal views could lead to death, but understood that change was necessary. As the 16th President of the United States, he led the country during its most violent era and stood firm in his belief that slavery should be forever abolished. Today, he’s an icon, and his image lives on through photographs, but during his lifetime, Honest Abe backed up his talk with action - and while there’s no video of Lincoln, we can only imagine the effect his presence had on those who encountered him face to face. The end of slavery; the beginning of a new America.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Stokely Carmichael
- Dorothy Height
- James Farmer
- John Lewis

#1: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Over one hundred years after the end of slavery, one man reminded the world that African-Americans were still living in a racist society. As a preacher from Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. promoted a message of peace and racial equality. From the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott all the way to his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, day after day, year after year, Dr. King stood in the face of imminent death and marched on, comforted by the idea that unity and national support could and would alter the course of American history. Despite not living to see his 40th birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. reinvigorated a troubled society, along with the lives of his contemporaries and future generations.

Do you agree with our list? Who do you think is the most American civil rights activist? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.