Places and People of the Civil Rights Movement

NCSS.D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

NCSS.D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.

NCSS.D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.

NCSS.D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.

NCSS.D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

NCSS.D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.

NCSS.D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

Activity 1. Identifying the Need for Change

Begin the lesson by asking students to read the “Introduction” and “The Need for Change” on the We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement website. Also, ask students to read King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which can be found at Great American Speeches: 80 Years of Political Oratory (to find this document, go to the home page of this website, then click on the “Speech Archive” link. Scroll down the page to the “1960s” section. A link to King’s speech, as well as helpful background, can be found under this heading).

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 "The Three Evils of Society" speech at the National Conference on New Politics in Chicago illustrates the degree to which any change has occurred in the United States with regard to civil rights and what Dr. King believes must happen if change is to occur.

First, discuss with students the need for change. Define segregation for the class, and ask students to imagine living during this time period. How would they react to drinking from separate water fountains and using separate restrooms, sitting in segregated sections of restaurants, attending different and often inferior schools, riding in the back of buses and entering through separate doors, or being denied voting rights, simply because of the color of their skin? Discuss these and other inequities. (See the “Introduction” section for background on segregation the events leading up to the Civil Rights Movement.) Ask students once again if they could imagine being denied basic rights under the constraints of segregation. Why was there a need for change in the United States?

Next, discuss Martin Luther King’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. Explain to students that although King was a leader of the movement, he believed its success depended on the participation of ordinary men and women who shared his dream of equality. Ask students to analyze King’s speech and identify the portions of the speech that reflect his idea of a collective movement and nonviolent protest.

For more background on King and nonviolent protest, please see the EDSITEment lesson plan, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Power of Nonviolence, and visit The Martin Luther King, Jr. website.

Activity 2. Ordinary People in the Civil Rights Movement

Divide students into four groups and assign each group one of the four sections of the We Shall Overcome site; the four sections are entitled “Players,” “Strategy," “Cost,” and “Prize.” (To find these sections from the home page of the We Shall Overcome site, click on “Introduction.” Links to the sections listed above can be accessed at the bottom of the “Introduction” page.) Depending on availability students may read from their computers, or they may read from handouts printed ahead of time. Students should identify the major points outlined in their sections, and present their findings to the class as a group, giving each member a chance to comment.

These brief presentations should develop into a larger discussion involving the entire class. Who were the players, and what did they want to accomplish? Again, emphasize the importance of ordinary men and women, and explain that the success of the Civil Rights Movement depended on a series of achievements at the local level by local people, several of whom will be discussed later in the lesson. Discuss the role of the church as a place of local activism, student involvement, and the roles of the opposition, namely the Ku Klux Klan and Southern whites. What was the strategy of the local people? What was the cost? Discuss the immediate victories of the movement, such as African-Americans being served a meal in a restaurant, as well as the long-term prize embodied in the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Activity 3. Historic Places in the Civil Rights Movement

Ask students to form groups again, this time in smaller groups of two of three, and choose a historical site from the We Shall Overcome website. Consider including local and state sites to draw connections between the national civil rights movement and students' communities. Many states and territories have produced encyclopedias focused on local history and culture. EDSITEment's Teacher's Guide "Investigting Local History" provides free access to encyclopedias, historical societies, and libraries, as well as other NEH funded databases. 

Using the attached worksheet, ask each group to research a place by asking the same questions posed in the earlier discussion. Students should analyze their event and place in terms of the larger Civil Rights Movement.

• How did Martin Luther King, Jr. and his theory of nonviolence influence the people involved?
• In what ways did local organizers deviate from the strategies and philosophies of Dr. King and other national civil rights leaders and organizations?
• What is important about the place where the event occurred?
• How did the people at this place influence the larger Civil Rights Movement? 

When the presentations are complete, broaden the discussion to include the entire class, and compare and contrast the historical places presented by the students.

Students can respond to presentations and discuss the following prompts:

• Which historic places were the most significant to the success of the movement?
• At which place was the strategy employed most successful? Least successful?
• At which place did the players suffer the greatest cost?
• At which places did Martin Luther King, Jr. play a direct role? At which places did he play an indirect role?

Finally, reiterate to the students that the events that occurred at each of these historic places were significant in that 1) they were led by ordinary men and women who believed in equal rights for all Americans, and 2) they did not stand alone, but were successful as part of a collective, non-violent movement in which local activism translated into sweeping national change in the area of civil rights for African-Americans.

Ask students to conduct an oral history with a family member or other adult who remembers the Civil Rights Movement. Students can visit Using Oral History at American Memory for more information on conducting oral history interviews and exploring their own family history.

Among the questions to ask:

• Do you remember what happened at the place I studied in school?
• Tell me what you remember about the events at Little Rock High School. What was your reaction to those events at the time? How did others react? How do you feel about those events looking back on them today?
• Do you recall what happened in your own town during the Civil Rights Movement? Did you participate in the movement in any way?
• What was your reaction to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
• Discuss the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement as explained in “The Prize” on the We Shall Overcome website. Was the Civil Rights Movement a success? Ask students to give examples of successes and failures. In what way are civil rights being discussed today? How have the events of September 11th brought the issue of civil rights back into the spotlight?

Selected EDSITEment Websites

• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• American Memory
• Great American Speeches: 80 Years of Political Oratory
• We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement