The Movement Before the Movement: Civil Rights Activism in the 1940s

Many educators focus on the civil rights movement as it occurred after Rosa Parks incited the bus boycott. Extend the understanding of the fight for civil rights in the United States with this post-WWII lesson. Learners examine and discuss several primary historical documents and a "who, what, where" activity to better understand life for African-Americans during the 1940s. They then compose an explanatory writing piece in the form of a letter home.