Black Past
Black Past: Meredith, James
A brief encyclopedia entry about James Meredith, the first black to integrate the University of Mississippi. A link will take you to a website so you can see the papers he donated to Old Miss.
Black Past
Black Past: White, Walter
A brief encyclopedia entry about the influential civil rights leader, Walter White.
Black Past
Black Past: Wilkins, Roy
This encyclopedia entry recounts briefly the life of Roy Wilkins, a very influential civil rights leader.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Travel Places of the Civil Rights Movement
This site provides a list of historic places of the Civil Rights Movement, complete with an itinerary and a map. Clicking on a place on the map will give information about that place.
PBS
Pbs: Independent Lens: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four
Follow the course of the sit-ins at the lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro, South Caroina during the first week of February, 1960.
Library of Congress
Loc: Civil Rights Jim Crow in America
A collection of primary source materials that reflect the Jim Crow laws in the United States. Includes analysis tools and teacher guides.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Read about the action of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, triggering a massive bus boycott led by Martin Luther King, Jr. The boycott became the impetus for a Supreme Court ruling that...
Other
Civil Rights Teaching
Online companion to the book "Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching", but many useful resources for any classroom.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor
Selected (8) reading passages (grades 6-10) to pair with "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of the Logan family combating racial tension and segregation in Mississippi during...
Other
Negro Baseball Leagues
This resource explains the history behind African American baseball leagues. Provides context to help visitors understand why these leagues came about and why they ended.
PBS
Teachers' Domain: Understanding White Supremacy
This lesson plan explores some of the structures that supported the system of white supremacy in the South. Students watch a video of historical footage showing white resisistance, and examine ordinances and documents of white supremacy...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
This lesson introduces students to Rosa Parks and the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After considering the impact of Ms. Parks' heroism, students will explore its relevance to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement....
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Massive Resistance and the Little Rock Nine
Read about resistance to desegregation and the nine African American students who dared to integrate Little Rock's Central High School.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Little Rock Nine
Imagine showing up to your first day of school and being greeted by an angry mob and the National Guard. Learn what happened to the "Little Rock Nine".
Social Studies for Kids
Social Studies for Kids: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Article tracing the life, acts, and fame of the famous civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
iCivics
I Civics: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that it was constitutional to keep black and white people segregated as long as the accommodations for each race were "equal." Students learn about the concept of...
iCivics
I Civics: Jim Crow
Use primary documents and images to discover the ways state and local governments restricted the newly gained freedoms of African Americans after the Civil War. Compare, contrast, and analyze post-war legislation, court decisions...
iCivics
I Civics: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that overturned "separate but equal" in public schools. Students learn about segregation and "equality under the law," and they use what they learned to craft compound...
iCivics
I Civics: Breaking Barriers: Constance Baker Motley
Meet a woman who broke all the barriers to become a champion for civil rights: Constance Baker Motley lawyer, state senator, and federal judge. [1:52]
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: Ida B. Wells and Anti Lynching Activism
The documents and images in this primary source set follow the development of Ida B. Wells' career as a journalist and activist and also represent the practice of lynching that she dedicated her career to fighting against.
University of Washington
University of Washington: Congress of Racial Equality (Core) Actions 1942 1970
Overview of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)with maps and charts showing the geography of CORE activism.
Digital History
Digital History: To the Heart of Dixie
In the early 1960s civil rights activists put the ban on segregation to the test. In 1961, "Freedom riders," boarded buses headed south to test the federal ban on segregated travel. And in 1962, the University of Mississippi was ordered...
Digital History
Digital History: Birmingham, Alabama: Bombingham
The city that best exemplifies white resistance to integration and the tension and conflict of the civil rights movement is Birmingham, Alabama. Learn about events of and reactions to the civil rights movement of the early 1960s in...
Country Studies US
Country Studies: The Divided South
This site describes how after the Civil War, the South struggled to survive. By in large, efforts to attract industry failed and soon a strictly enforced social segregation system appeared and would last until well into the 20th century.