National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Poetry, Making of African American Identity: V. 3
This study of black protest poems from the early part of the twentieth century through the late sixties can provide insight into the issues African Americans faced during that time and the ways they responded to them. Works from seven...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Making of African American Identity: Old Timers, Newcomers
An editorial cartoon and a newspaper article illustrating the tensions between members of established African American communities in the North and Southern migrants. Links to both resources are provided within this site.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Civil Rights Act of 1964
Learn about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was aimed at ending segregation and racial discrimination.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Civil Rights for Kids: Little Rock Nine
Kids learn about the history of the Little Rock Nine on this site. Site discusses how African-American students who fought to end segregation by attending an all-white high school.
PBS
This Far by Faith: Civil Rights to Black Power: A Faith Forged in Albany
This segment from This Far by Faith, a documentary film about spiritual journeys of African Americans, explores civil rights and the Albany Movement.
US National Archives
Our Documents: Desegregation of the Armed Forces(1948)
Read a brief overview of the history behind this executive order that integrated the segregated military and then read a copy of the complete original text.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The Importance of Muhammad Ali
[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about the life and career of famous boxer Muhammad Ali while exploring his role in the civil rights movement. Also, discover his views on religion and politics and his legacy for being a positive...
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...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Gains and Pains
Read about the legal gains made by the civil rights movement, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, juxtaposed against the real-life actions meant to deny African Americans their right to racial equality not just legally, but...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian: Rosa Parks' Arrest Records
Read about the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks and the impact her arrest had on society, helping to launch the civil rights movement. Includes images of Rosa Parks' original arrest records, now on display at the National Archives in Georgia.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Defending Personal Freedoms
This lesson is an introduction to the Civil Rights Movement in American history. The social and political impact of the current events and key people who played an integral role during this era provide a wealth of insight into the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1980 Present: Continuity and Change in the Postwar Era
How much did the events of the tumultuous postwar era reshape American national identity? Kim discusses the extent to which developments like the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and student protests of the 1960s changed...
Kids' Wings
Texas Bluebonnet Books: "The Other Side"
"The Other Side," by Jacqueline Woodson, is a children's book on the Civil Rights movement. This website provides links on Black History that are related to the book.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
This lesson provides links for students to use as they explore history behind the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance and the Civil Rights Movement. A strong focus is given to the economic barriers faced by African Americans.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: A National Struggle: Congress
This two-page segment of a larger PBS site about Jim Crow discusses the role of Congress over close to 100 years in first entrenching Jim Crow laws in the law of the land, and eventually, through the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and the...
OpenStax
Open Stax: Contesting Futures: America in the 1960s: The Kennedy Promise
Discusses Kennedy's rise to power and the challenges he faced from within the government, his focus on foreign policy, the conflict with Cuba, American involvement in Vietnam, support for racial equality and civil rights, and Kennedy's...
A&E Television
History.com: Greensboro Sit Ins
The Greensboro Sit-In was a critical turning point in Black history and American history, bringing the fight for civil rights to the national stage. Its use of nonviolence inspired the Freedom Riders and others to take up the cause of...
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Niagara Movement
Learn about the Niagara Movement, a black civil rights organization formed in 1905 formed by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Selma March
The Selma Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama took place in March 1965 as part of the voting rights movement.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: "Massive Resistance" and the Little Rock Nine
Read about the famous civil rights protest in Little Rock, Kansas in 1957 when nine African American students attempted to enter Central High School on the first day of school. Despite the presence of federal troops at the school for the...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: Divining America: Religion in American History
A collection of scholarly essays consisting of instructional guides accompanied by commentary. Designed to help teachers of American history bring students to a greater understanding of the role religion has played in the development of...
History Link
History Link: Chicano/latino Activism in Seattle, 1960s 1970s
An article about the Chicano Movement in Washington state, and Seattle in particular at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Read about the formation of the Brown Berets and their place in the movement.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Martin Luther King, Jr.
A brief biography of civil rights hero, Martin Luther King, Jr. This article touches on his early life, but focuses on his actions as a leader of nonviolent change to bring equality to African Americans. Find a speech given by Robert...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Tween Tribune: The True Story of "Hidden Figures"
"Hidden Figures" was a blockbuster movie and book about African-American women working for NASA beginning after WWII. These women not only made great strides for the space program but also advanced the civil rights movement. Learn more...