Article
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America" by Barbara Radner

For Students 4th - 6th
This is an informational article about how Martin Luther King Jr. worked toward changing America in the 1950s and 1960s. It includes a short bio of Dr. King and a reading purpose: As you read, take notes on the problems that African...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Shaping a New America

For Students 5th - 8th
A brief overview of the protest movements in the 1960s and 1970s.
Website
Other

Core: Sit Ins

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief description of the role of the sit-in as a non-violent way to protest segregation in the South.
Primary
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Archiving Early America: Letters From a Pennsylvania Farmer

For Students 9th - 10th
A voice of dissent prior to the American Revolution, John Dickenson, a Philadelphia lawyer, was active in protesting British policies. His writings, entitled Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer, were published in newspapers in 1767 and 1768.
Website
ibiblio

Ibiblio: Welcome to Free Burma

For Students 9th - 10th
At this ibiblio.org site, information is provided about Burma. Includes subjects such as News, Education, Reference, Activism, Boycott, and Help Refugees. There is also a recent CNN slideshow of peaceful protesters.
Website
Country Studies US

Country Studies: The Native American Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
This web-article discusses how Native American activism was inspired not only by the civil rights movements in the US but also by nationalistic movements in Third World countries.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides detailed facts and a summary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a protest against segregation on public buses that began on December 1, 1955. It was led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Martin Luther King Jr.

For Students 3rd - 8th
This resource provides information about Martin Luther King Jr.
Primary
NBC

Nbc Learn: Finishing the Dream: 1955 56: Buses and Boycotts

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of archival video clips covering the early days of the civil rights movement in the United States. Looks at reaction to the lynching of a teenager named Emmett Till in Chicago, Rosa Park's protest, the Montgomery Bus...
Lesson Plan
Other

Teaching the Journal of American History: Flaunting the Freak Flag

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This very complete lesson plan uses an article from the Journal of American History to teach about the student movement of the the 1960s and 1970s. Everything necessary for the lesson is provided including the exercises for teaching the...
Primary
Other

Aim: Trail of Broken Treaties 20 Point Position Paper

For Students 9th - 10th
Original text of the plan for the reconstruction of Indian communities, developed by the American Indian Movement (AIM.)
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Stanford University: Lesson Plan on Martin Luther King, Jr. & Malcolm X

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A comprehensive four part lesson plan exploring how the ideas of the two great African American leaders were similar and different both in their ideologies and their visions.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Alien and Sedition Acts

For Students 5th - 8th
A great description of the Alien and Sedition Acts, passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798. See how the Federalists tried to hang on to power by restricting voting privileges and infringing on free speech and freedom of the press.
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Stanford University: Lesson Plan on the Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A comprehensive five part lesson plan that teaches student how to use what happend in the famous bus boycott for both content knowledge and also how to apply to other social movements. The role of Rosa Parks is examined in detail.
Website
Other

Montgomery Bus Boycott: They Changed the World

For Students 9th - 10th
This very informative site provides everything about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Includes an interactive timeline, video clips, biographies of the leaders, interviews of people involved, archived newspaper articles, and an entire section...
Handout
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: David Trimble

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Nobel Prize Winner David Trimble who worked for peace in Northern Ireland. Read about his background and achievements, listen to an interview, and view a gallery of pictures.
Handout
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: John Hume

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume who advocated for peace in Northern Ireland. Read about his background and achievements, listen to an interview, and view a gallery of pictures.
Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Handout
Other

Landmark Cases: Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

For Students 9th - 10th
A fantastic teacher resource site for helping students explore the main issues of the landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines. It includes background summaries, excerpts of opinions, activities, and in-depth lessons.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Letter From Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
While in jail, King responded in a letter written on the margins of a newspaper, because it was the only paper available. King gave the letter to his lawyers, who published what is now known as the famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail."...
Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Nullification Crisis

For Students 9th - 10th
Toward the end of his first term in office, Jackson was forced to confront the state of South Carolina, the most important of the emerging Deep South cotton states, on the issue of the protective tariff. Business and farming interests in...
Article
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: Ruby Ridge (Weaver) Trial (1993)

For Students 9th - 10th
In the 1980s, the mountainous panhandle of northern Idaho became a magnet for right-wingers of all stripes. Government-haters, minority-haters, immigrant-haters, and modern culture-haters all found refuge in the sparsely-populated...
Handout
ibiblio

Ibiblio: Greensboro Sit Ins

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by Ibiblio, contains a background of the beginning and subsequent spread of the sit-ins during the 1960s.