John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Analyzing the Inaugural Address
Get high school historians to step outside their own shoes by responding to JFK's inaugural address from the perspective of a civil rights activist, a soviet diplomat, or a Cuban exile. After a class discussion about the address,...
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How Rosa Parks Sparked Change
Rosa Parks proves that one person, no matter their race, can make a difference.
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Afghanistan Today: Civil War and Human Rights
High schoolers examine the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They analyze the role of religion and cultural identity in shaping governments. They also examine the United States foreign...
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The American Indian Movement
Twelfth graders examine the civil rights movement of the Native Americans. They read the provided multicultural reading passage and answer the questions that follow. They chart which cultural groups fought for equal rights during the...
National Woman's History Museum
Ida B. Wells: Suffragist and Anti-Lynching Activist
Suffragette, investigative journalist, and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells is the focus of a lesson plan that has young historians study the work of this amazing woman. Scholars watch a video biography of Wells, read the text of her...
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The Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky
Eleventh graders examine how current race relations in their town compare to those of the 1960's.
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African American Poetry
Students write their own dream poems in the style of African American dream poetry. In this African American poetry lesson plan, students discuss the dreams of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement and read...
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Women’s History
Students examine the "Cult of Domesticity." In this women's history lesson, students visit the specified Web sites to engage in research related to the characteristics that were thought to represent true womanhood as well as information...
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The African-American Experience During the Vietnam Conflict
Learners examine the experiences of African-Americans in the Vietnam War. They illustrate their experiences showing how these events related to the Civil Rights movement. They compare and contrast the views of sailors and officers aboard...
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People From American History
In this social studies worksheet, 4th graders will gain an understanding of nine famous Americans and their accomplishments to society. Students will complete nine fill in the blank statements about each individual.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Dueling Telegrams: 1963 Verbal Power Play Between Wallace and JFK
Information, inferences, and innuendos. Text and subtext. Class members examine telegrams exchanged between President John F. Kennedy and Alabama Governor George Wallace, studying both what is stated and what is implied by the...
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Paul Robeson: The Renaissance Man
Students research the life of athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist, Paul Robeson. They answer the question, "Which was most important to American culture -Robeson's work as a scholar, a performer, an...
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The Sixties Protests and Social Change
Students identify, examine and analyze photographs of the sixties to determine the forces of social change at work in America during this decade. They determine the goals of each movement and the methods used by each to achieve those goals.
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Parenting in the Movies:Examining Responsibilities in Modern American Films
Students use films to identify the characteristics of a good parent. In groups, they research the different types of parenting methods used during colonial times, the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. As a class, they develop...
Center for History and New Media
Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...
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The Underground Railroad as an Act of Civil Disobedience
Young scholars write an essay from rough draft to final copy about the Underground Railroad. Civil disobedience is researched from a variety of sources. There is a prewriting exercise that is included in the activity. The whole writing...
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The American Dream
Students expand their knowledge by researching on the Internet the African American civil rights movement and compiling a timeline of events and heroes. In addition to the civil rights timeline, students identify the key historical sites...
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African Americans and the Military of World War II
Fifth graders view a news reel of African Americans in World War II. In this World War II lesson plan, 5th graders discuss the newspaper clippings they get to view and hypothesize about why the African Americans use military news clips....
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The Story of Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges' walk into the William Franz Elementary broke racial barriers and propelled the Civil Rights Movement forward.
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Turbulent Times of the Sixties
Students explore 1960's America. In this American history lesson, students read about and research 1960's political and entertainment figures, social activism, the Civil Rights Movement, and environmentalism as they complete writing and...
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Turning Historical Descriptions into Causal Claims
Eleventh graders study different political processes. In this American Government activity, 11th graders read narratives about different political processes. Students write a sentence in their own words describing the concepts.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword Puzzle
In this Martin Luther King, Jr. crossword puzzle worksheet, students read 15 clues about this civil rights activist. Students fit their answers in the puzzle, which has no word bank.
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Brother Outsider
Students view the film "Brother Outsider" and read an article by Bayard Rustin as springboards to discuss the concept of civil rights in the United States. They follow a discussion guide.
PBS
Hidden Messages in Spirituals
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...