Question

You have been asked to write an essay about the outcomes of the Civil Rights movement. Which of these is the most effective topic sentence for a paragraph in this essay?


The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, in Washington, D.C.


Barry Goldwater, a senator from Arizona who would later run for President of the United States, said in opposition to the Civil Rights Act: "You can't legislate morality."


There were two main results from the March on Washington: it gave a national platform to the voices of African-Americans who wanted reform and it created momentum for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.


A group of thirteen Freedom Riders boarded a bus in Washington D.C. and headed for New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 4, 1961.

Answer 1

The third sentence: "There were two main results from the March on Washington: it gave a national platform to the voices of African-Americans who wanted reform and it created momentum for the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

Why: It directly states outcomes (the focus of your essay), links cause and effect, and sets up the paragraph’s supporting details. If you want a slightly tighter version: "The March on Washington amplified African-American voices nationwide and helped build the momentum that produced the Civil Rights Act of 1964."