Name: ____________________
Due Date: ____________
Lions of Little Rock Task Sheet
Block: ______
Directions:
Welcome to your WebQuest for our next class novel, The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin
Levine. Using the websites and videos provided, respond to the questions below. Remember to read each site THOROUGHLY! All of the answers are there!
Getting to Know the Book and the Author
Step 1:
1. A group now known as the “Little Rock Nine” integrated a high school in 1957.
What is the name of this high school?
2. One year later, how many schools were “successfully” integrated?
3. Unfortunately, many people in Little Rock do not like the idea of integration. What happens to these four integrated schools, and how do the students of those schools continue to learn?
4. Based on the book trailer and our discussion on literary conflict(s), what type of conflict do you predict you will see in “The Lions of LIttle Rock”? Explain your answer.
Step 2:
____
5. Kristin Levine always intended to write a book about “the lost year”. a. true b. false
6. What does Kristin Levine state as her reasoning for writing about “the lost year”?
____ 7. Closing schools to prevent integration happened in the state of Virginia. a. true b. false
8. Summarize the friendship Melba Pattillo Beals describes in her memoir, Warriors
Don’t Cry .
9. Does Kristin Levine believe the characters in her book would have been friends in reality? Explain your answer.

10. In her own words, Kristin Levine felt she wasn’t qualified “as a white woman …
[she] wasn’t qualified to write about race”. What does she ultimately learn about the topic of racism?
Understanding Cultural Issues of the Late 1950s
Step 3:
Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences. Then number the events in chronological order.
____ Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his “______________________________” speech at the March on Washington.
____ In Montgomery, Alabama, ________________________ is arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat for a white person.
____ In ______________________________, the Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
____ The ____________________________ makes segregation illegal.
____ Martin Luther King, Jr. organizes a ________________________ of the
Montgomery Bus Line.
____ 21. The civil rights movement sought to integrate American society. What does that mean? a. It wanted to repeal the laws that forced African Americans to remain separate from whites b. It wanted to overthrow the American government c. It wanted to build new houses and schools for African Americans d. It wanted to make sure that African Americans received more privileges than whites
____ 22. What was the result of the Brown vs. Board of Education case? a. Special public schools were set up for African American students b. African American kids were prevented from attending the same schools as white kids c. The entire nation was desegregated d. African American kids were allowed to attend the same schools as white kids
____ 23. What role did the Supreme Court play during the civil rights movement? a. It overturned some of the laws that made segregation legal b. It wrote new laws that made integration legal c. It supported the segregationist policies of Southern governors d. It urged Congress to pass new laws legalizing integration

____ 24. Why did protesters sit at lunch counters and not move until they closed? a. Because they needed to get food for other civil rights protestors b. To protest the unfair food prices c. To protest the segregationist policies of the federal government d. To protest the fact that African Americans weren't served there
____ 25. What risks did civil rights protesters face? a. They often had their voting rights taken away b. They were sent forcibly to non-segregated states and countries c. Many of them were arrested, jailed, and even killed d. They were forced to use segregated facilities
Step 4:
26 . __________________________ means to separate one group from another.
27 . The ______________________________ attempted to gain equality for the races in the United States through activism and peaceful protest.
28 . The __________________________________ protested the rights of African-
Americans freed after the Civil War.
29 . The Supreme Court ruled in Plessy vs. Ferguson that segregation as allowed as long as the things being segregated were ____________________________.
30 . Changing the makeup of segregated schools to include children of all races was called _______________________________________.
____ 31. What does it mean when something is segregated? a. It is combined with something else b. It is separated from other things c. It helps make something better d. It ensures fairness for everyone involved
____ 32. If you were an African American in the South during the early part of the 20th century, how would segregation have affected your life? a. You wouldn't have been able to go to school b. You wouldn't have been able to own a home c. You wouldn't have been considered a citizen of the United States d. You wouldn't have been able to use the same public facilities as white people
____ 33. Which of the following statements is a fact? a. Segregation was a bad thing for both whites and African Americans b. Topeka was once one of the most racist cities in America c. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal d. The Supreme Court acted bravely in its "Brown vs. Board of Ed" decision

____ 34. What was the biggest problem with "separate but equal" facilities? a. They usually weren't equal b. Having two of everything was too expensive c. Sometimes it was confusing which facility you were supposed to use d. Segregated factories prevented the economy from growing
____ 35. Why was Linda Brown made to go to a school that was far away?
[Linda Brown] a. She was too young to attend the closer school b. The closer school was for whites, and she was African American c. The closer school was a private school, and she was a public school student d. She had been expelled from a closer school due to bad behavior
____ 36. How does the Plessy vs. Ferguson case compare to the Brown vs.
Board of Ed case? a. The Plessy case argued for racial harmony, while the Brown case established white supremacy b. The Plessy case took place in the 1940s, while the Brown case took place in the 1960s c. The Plessy case separated non-whites from the rest of society, while the Brown case found th is unconstitutional d. The Plessy case was decided unanimously by the Supreme Court, while the
Brown case resulted in a 5-4 decision
Step 5:
37. According to the video, how old was Emmett Till when he was tortured and killed?
38. Based on the knowledge you now have of this time period, what can you infer as to why Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam decided to kidnap and kill Emmett Till?
39.
Why do you think Emmett Till’s mother would have wanted an open casket at his funeral?
40. How was Moses Wright able to positively determine the identity of Emmett Till?
41. Why was it so extraordianary for Moses Wright to take the stand and point out
Emmett’s kidnappers?
42. Even though they finally confessed to the murder, what protected Roy Bryant and
J.W. Milam from being convicted of Emmett Till’s murder? How much money did they gain from their confession?

43-46. Emmett Till’s death “provided an important catalyst for the civil rights movement” because:
100 days later: __________________________________________
Nine years later: _________________________________________
In 1965: _________________________________________________
Step 6:
47 . How many white students were suspended? Expelled? Why?
48 . Why was Minnijean Brown expelled? Do you agree with this decision? Why or why not?
49 . To what does the “lost year” refer?
50 . Summarize the purpose of “Act 4”.
51 . Summarize the purpose of “Act 5”.
Step 7:
____ 52. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech rang out from the
Lincoln Memorial during the historic March on Washington in a. August,1962 b. September, 1963 c. July, 1963 d. August, 1963
____ 53. Which of the following is NOT a subheading in the body of this article? a. Lasting Impact of the Birmingham Church Bombing b. Context: Birmingham in the 1960’s c. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Impact d. Aftermath of the Birmingham Church Bombing
____ 54. In the 1960s, Birmingham was a. the state’s most important commercial and industrial center b. one of America’s most racially discriminatory and segregated cities c. home to one of the most violent chapters of the Ku Klux Klan d. all of the above

____ 55. What Alabama governor was a leading opponent to desegregation? a. George Wallace b. Eugene “Bull” Connor c. Christopher Paul Curtis d. Martin Luther King, Jr.
____ 56. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama in the spring of 1963 when he refused to give up his bus seat to a white passenger. a. True b. False
____ 57. While in jail, King wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” that was published in the national press. a. True b. False
____ 58 . By 1963, homemade bombs set off in Birmingham’s black homes and churches were such common occurrences that the city had earned the nickname a. Bombing Birmingham b. Bombingham c. Burningham d. Bombingville
____ 59. On September 15, 1963, how many church members were in the building of the 16th Street Baptist church? a. 4 b. 50 c. 200 d. 100
____ 60. Many of these church members were in the building a. attending Bible Study b. attending Sunday school classes c. fellowshipping with other church members d. all of the above
____ 61. Four young girls between the ages of 11 and 14 were killed in the bombing and over 20 other people were injured in the blast. a. True b. False
____ 62. This bombing was the 3rd in 11 days and came in response to what event? a. King’s March on Washington b. the arrest of Martin Luther King, Jr. c. a federal court order mandating the integration of Alabama’s school system d. the resignation of Alabama’s governor

Continue to use the History.com website to determine which person from the box was responsible for each of the following actions. a. J. Edgar Hoover d. Blanton & Cherry b. Bob Baxley e. Herman Frank Cash c. Robert E. Chambliss
f. Governor Wallace
____
63. Head of the F.B.I. in 1965
____
64. Convicted of murder for the bombings and died in prison in 1985
____
65. Alabama Attorney General who reopened the investigation
____
66. Suspect who died before he could be brought to trial
____
67. In a position of power but did nothing despite having information on the identities of the bombers
____
68. Sent police and state troopers to break up the violence in Birmingham
____
69. Finally arrested, brought to trial, and convicted after the turn of the new millennium
____
70. Died in 1972 without having pursued justice in the bombings