The situation of African-American people from 1861 to 1968 represents a very important period in the history of the United States because during those years blacks struggled for their civil rights. This thesis is divided in seven chapters. The first one, BRIEF HISTORY OF BLACKS BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, describes how the first African-American people came to the territories that later became the United States, the establishment of the slavery system, the treatment of slaves, and the apparition of some people who were against slavery and made possible the liberation of some blacks. The second chapter, LIFESTYLE OF BLACKS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, briefly outlines the different aspects of African-American life after the Civil War such as: jobs, education, housing, health, and culture. The third chapter, LEGAL ASPECTS, explains the legal features that established the norms under which African-American people lived. The fourth chapter, EVENTS AND ISSUES, discusses the Civil War, Brown v. Board of Education, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Riders, and the presence of the Ku Klux Klan. The fifth chapter, LAWS IN BENEFIT OF OR AGAINST BLACKS, concerns the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, Jim Crow Laws, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The sixth chapter, WITNESSES OF SEGREGATION AND THEIR INFLUENCE TO THE CHANGE, highlights specific events that, thanks to some brave people, contributed to the achievement of the civil rights. The seventh chapter, INFLUENCE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, describes the work of presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Chester A. Arthur, Harry S. Truman, Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson who made executive decisions which affected the lives of African AmericansLicenciada en Ciencias de la Educación. Especialidad Lengua y Literatura InglesaCuenca