Anti-Defamation League
Rosa Parks: Sources of Information
Young scholars show what they know about Rosa Parks and the incident on one of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Groups discuss and identify where they receive most of their information. They examine the importance of having a complete...
Teaching Tolerance
Jim Crow as a Form of Racialized Social Control
Just because slavery was illegal doesn't mean it went away ... Jim Crow Laws took its place. An eye-opening lesson focuses on how Jim Crow Laws were used as a form of racial social control against African Americans in the United States....
National Endowment for the Humanities
NAACP's Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1930s
Young scholars examine the anti-lynching campaign sponsored by the NAACP in the 1930's. In this social justice lesson, students study the history of the anti-lynching campaign and determine why it was not successful. Young scholars...
American Institute of Physics
Physicist Activist: Dr. Elmer Imes and the Civil Rights Case of Juliette Derricotte
Elmer Imes was not only a brilliant physicist but also a civil rights activist. After an introductory lecture, groups read two articles about a traffic accident that killed one Fisk University student and injured several others. The...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
How Would You Feel? The Bravery of Civil Disobedience
As part of their study of the US Civil Rights Movement and the Montgomery bus boycott, class members read Dr. Martin Luther King's "Integrated Bus Suggestions." They then craft a short story about the first week of Montgomery...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alabama Biographies of the 20th Century
Students research and examine the lives of famous people who have changed the history of Alabama. They write a short biographical summary and create a 3-D scan picture.
Curated OER
African Americans in California’s Heartland – The Civil Rights Era
Events related to the Civil Rights Movement in Sacramento, California during the 1960s offer class members an opportunity to compare the nonviolent resistance approach favored by Dr. Martin Luther King and the NAACP with those of the...
Center for History Education
Blockbusting: Social and Economic Change through Real Estate
"Redlining," "Blockbusting," and "White Flight" may not be terms familiar to young historians. Here's a activity that introduces middle schoolers to these terms and the actions associated with them. Class members examine a series of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
NAACP’s Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1920s
Students investigate the anti-lynching campaign of the NAACP in the 1920's. In this human rights instructional activity, students prepare for and participate in a simulated debate of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill that was presented to...
Curated OER
Birth of a Nation, the NAACP, and the Balancing of Rights
Eleventh graders analyze primary sources. In this US History activity, 11th graders interpret written information. Students evaluate arguments and draw conclusions. Students develop and defend a position.
C-SPAN
1968: The Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign of 1968 marked a shift in the civil rights movement to economic issues. Speakers in four C-SPAN video clips discuss different aspects of the campaign including Resurrection City, the Economic Bill of Rights,...
Curated OER
Thurgood Marshall Makes a Difference
Students find information about the life and legal career of Thurgood Marshall, including the NAACP and its causes. They comprehend the issues and context of the Brown v. Board of Education case that Marshall argued before the U.S....
Curated OER
USA: the KKK and Civil Rights Movement
Students view film footage of the Ku Klux Klan in the U.S. in the early 1920s and examine how the actions of the KKK have been viewed by different strands of the civil rights movement. They watch the film and answer discussion...
Curated OER
"Pitchfork" Ben Tillman and Political Reform in South Carolina
Eleventh graders examine the political reform movement in South Carolina spearheaded by "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman. In this South Carolina history lesson, 11th graders examine primary and secondary sources regarding Tillman...
Anti-Defamation League
Building Alliances
Bystander or up-stander? The final lesson in the "Looking Back Reaching Forward" unit asks participants to consider how they can become involved in encouraging change in their school and community.
Stanford University
Beyond Vietnam
On April 4, 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam." The controversy that followed is the focus of a three-lesson unit that asks class members to consider the political and social implications of King's...
Curated OER
Brown vs. Board of Education and NAACP
Eleventh graders examine the issues surrounding Brown vs. Board of Education. For this American Government lesson, 11th graders study the key civil rights legislation passed in 1964 and 1965.
PBS
Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist
Scholars examine the courageous efforts made by civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Discussion questions and a brief writing assignment follows a short film. A photograph and a silent film delve deeper into Park's history and three...
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 instructional activity that has young historians study the work of this amazing woman. Scholars watch a video biography of Wells, read the...
Curated OER
It's All in the Making: Our Local Organizations
Students study African American nonprofit organizations. For this nonprofit organizations lesson, students discuss African American organizations. Students research the NAACP and NUL website. Students design posters for both groups....
Curated OER
The Little Rock Central High Crisis
Eighth graders identify the events that led to the Little Rock Central High Crisis. They observe and explain the causes and affects of the Little Rock Central High Crisis.
Curated OER
School Desegregation in South Carolina
Eleventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this North Carolina history lesson, 11th graders examine the Briggs v. Elliott case in order to understand the difference in the state and...
Curated OER
Boundary Crossing
Seventh graders explore the issues that arose as a result of boundary crossing. In this US History lesson, 7th graders research supreme court cases in regards to crossing boundaries. Students present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
The future of Affirmative Action
Eleventh graders explore the term Affirmative Action. In this US History lesson, 11th graders create a presentation that will determine the future of federal affirmative action programs. Students write a speech that will be...