what role did civil disobedience play in the Civil Rights Movement

Answer 1

MANY roles!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience

http://www.google.com/search?q=civil+disobedience+in+civil+rights+movement&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SUNA

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., employed many of Gandhi's and Jesus's ideas and actions:

Gandhi: Be sure to read about the civil rights movement in South Africa and his role in India's winning her independence from England:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi

Be sure you know what passive resistance is, too.