The most recent development of the civil rights struggle is development of the grassroots organization Black Lives Matter. This movement and organization highlights ending the ongoing oppression of African Americans in the twenty-first century. This work will partly discuss the history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the incidents that occurred in the past to the present day and compare the strategies and tactics used by the modern activists to the strategies and tactics of past Black activist movements, particularly the abolitionist movement, early 20th century advocacy, the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power movement. The overall strategies and tactics of Black Lives Matter Activists are comparable to the Black Power movement, the civil rights movement, early twentieth-century advocacy, and the abolition movement. The abolitionist movement laid the groundwork for every other movement after, including the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter activists use some of the same strategies and tactics of the past. The use of the media to portray a message is present in all movements although differently in each one. The evolution of black nationalism is also present in each movement. Each movement through the centuries used some method of indirect and direct action to upset the current situation in favor of African and African Americans. Activists worked to sway the nation through peaceful means such as legislature, political tactics or marches, or they took a direct approach with boycotts, stand – ins or outright rebellions for the rights of African Americans. The tactics and strategies of each movement marginally each group of activists pushed to end the oppression of African Americans. Keywords: African Americans, Civil Rights, History