MINI-LESSON

American Civil Rights Movement

 

Previous portions of this lesson motivated students to ask questions about the American Civil Rights Movement and brought them to a "teachable moment." Many avenues exist for exploring this historical period.

 

My personal favorite to visit http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html

 

Use the website to highlight important people, places, and events in the struggle to achieve equal rights for African Americans.

 

  1. 1954: U. S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board decision.
  2. 1955: Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott
  3. 1956: Place Fannie Motley's graduation in its historical context.
  4. 1957: Little Rock, Arkansas. White rioters protest the desegregation of Central High School. National Guard troops step in.
  5. 1960: Greensboro, North Carolina and elsewhere in the South. College students "sit-in" at lunch counters to protest segregation.
  6. 1962: The University of Mississippi. Federal troops quell white rioters protesting the enrollment of James Meredith.
  7. 1963: The University of Alabama. Gov. George Wallace stands in "the schoolhouse door" to block Vivian Malone's enrollment.
  8. 1965: The March on Washington
  9. 1968: Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Focus on CONCEPTS in the mini-lesson. For example, Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat on the Montgomery bus makes more sense if students understand the concept of JIM CROW. Whites rioting in Little Rock and Mississippi should be explained in the context of MASSIVE RESISTANCE by whites following the Brown decision. Mention the formation of White Citizens Councils and increased Ku Klux Klan activity.

 

Students now appreciate the historical context of Fannie Motley's graduation as it was reported in newspapers in 1956.

 

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