Encyclopedia of African American Society: This encyclopedia provides access to deeper information on the Civil Rights Movement, detailing such aspects sit-ins and activists involved as well as the political climate of the time. This source is searchable by individual’s name, historical movement, etc.

Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America: Focusing entirely on civil rights in America for various minorities, this is a useful source for slightly more in-depth research, as searching a general term (like Civil Rights Movement) provides information on how various communities and institutions supported different movements. While it would be best to use a more specified search term, it is possible to narrow broad searches by limiting results to various subjects, etc., listed in the menu on the left hand side of the results page.

Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States: This encyclopedia is useful for providing detailed coverage of landmark cases involving civil rights (such as Brown v. Board of Education, 1954) that precipitated the 1960s movement. Fortunately, searches can be conducted either by the name of an individual involved in a Supreme Court case, the title of the case, or the title of a historical movement that might be referenced in the case (i.e. Civil Rights Movement).

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences: Like the other encyclopedias on this list, the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences provides synopses of relevant topics, including the political atmosphere in the U.S. that led to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This encyclopedia can be searched in a variety of ways, including by historical movement, the name of an individual, or organization or ethnic group.

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World: An encyclopedia that covers international history from 1750 to the early twenty-first century, the Encyclopedia of the Modern World includes information on numerous groups, movements, and incidents that contributed to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s such as the Ku Klux Klan, Black Power, and the race riots. Information can be found in this encyclopedia by searching for different movements, events, or individuals.

Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s: Providing brief biographies of key individuals during the 1960s, this source is useful for the information that it can provide on key players in the Civil Rights Movement, including activists. Searching an individual’s name or the movement with which he or she is associated will result in the appropriate biographies.