Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Aim: Desegregation and Brown vs. Board of Education
Do Now: Review the Supreme Court case of Plessy V Ferguson, by defining or using the terms around the case to
describe the case and its ruling
Answer for Do Now:
Regents Review Point: When the court judges if a law is Constitutional or Unconstitutional it is called
J___________ R_____________. This concept was set in the Supreme Court Case M__________ vs
M___________.
Activity #1-Background to the Supreme Court Case; Brown Vs Board of Education…Kansas
In Topeka, Kansas, a black third-grader named Linda Brown had to walk one mile through a railroad switchyard to
get to her black elementary school, even though a white elementary school was only seven blocks away. Linda's
father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white elementary school, but the principal of the school refused.
Brown went to McKinley Burnett, the head of Topeka's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) and asked for help. The NAACP was eager to assist the Browns, as it had long wanted to
challenge segregation in public schools. With Brown's complaint, it had "the right plaintiff at the right time." Other
black parents joined Brown, and, in 1951, the NAACP requested an injunction that would forbid the segregation of
Topeka's public schools.
Brown and the NAACP appealed to the Supreme Court on October 1, 1951, the Supreme Court first heard the case
on December 9, 1952, but failed to reach a decision. In the re-argument, heard from December 7-8, 1953, the Court
requested that both sides discuss "the circumstances surrounding the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in
1868."
What were the circumstances (issues) that led the Brown’s to sue to Board of Ed. Of Kansas?
Describe the role of the organization known as the NAACP in this case?
What Amendment were the NAACP/Brown family using to support their claim?
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Activity #2-Ruling of the Court in Case: Brown Vs. Board of Education (1954)
"Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The
impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as
denoting the inferiority of the Negro group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn.
Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a tendency to (retard) the educational and mental development
of Negro children and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racially integrated school
system."
What social effect does Segregation have on African American children?
What developmental/educational effect does segregation have on African-America children?
“Whatever may have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is
amply supported by modern authority. Any language in Plessy v. Ferguson contrary to this finding is rejected.”
Does the Court believe that these effects were known in 1896 when the case of Plessy V Ferguson was
decided?
“We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate
educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for
whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal
protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. This disposition makes unnecessary any
discussion whether such segregation also violates the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Acc. to the Court in this case, was school segregation legal?
Why?
What is the message of this picture, who is the girl?
What is the message of this cartoon?
Summary: How was Brown Vs Board of Education case similar and different to the case of Plessy V.
Ferguson? Create an Organization chart (Double Bubble map)
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Aim: Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges
Do Now: According to Brown Vs The Board of Education, what was supposed to happen in Southern
School Districts all around America?
Regents Review Point: Define the term Federalism
What Document is the Supreme Law of the Land?
Which is more powerful State or National Government?
Activity #1-Read the events surrounding the integration of Little Rock Central High School
September 1957- Governor Orval Faubus declared that integration was an impossibility in a televised statement and
instructed the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High and keep all blacks out of the school. On that first
day of school 8 of the 9 Black student went together to school, but one student Elizabeth Eckford went alone. On the
first day of school Elizabeth Eckford went met violence, hate and confusion. She and the other 8 students were
prevent from entering the school by the Arkansas National guard as ordered by the Governor.
What did the Governor do to
prevent Blacks from entering Little
Rock HS?
How were the Black students
treated by White students?
. . . On September 4, after walking a virtual gauntlet of hysterical whites to reach the front door of Central High, the
Little Rock Nine were turned back by Arkansas National Guardsmen. The white crowd hooted and cheered, shouted,
stomped, and whistled. The segregationist whites of Little Rock did not see the vulnerability or the bravery of the
students. Instead, they saw symbols of the South’s defeat in the War Between the States, its perceived degradation
during the Reconstruction that followed, and the threats to the southern way of life they had been taught to believe
was [sacred]. . . .
Acc. to this document, why did Whites so forcefully not want Blacks integrated?
Activity #2- Read Pres. Eisenhower’s address
. . . This morning the mob again gathered in front of the Central High School of Little Rock, obviously for the
purpose of again preventing the carrying out of the Court’s order relating to the admission of Negro [African
American] children to the school.
Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary for the Executive Branch of the
Federal Government to use its powers and authority to uphold Federal Courts, the President’s responsibility is
inescapable.
In accordance with that responsibility, I have today issued an Executive Order directing the use of troops under
Federal authority to aid in the execution of Federal law at Little Rock, Arkansas. This became necessary when my
Proclamation of yesterday was not observed, and the obstruction of justice still continues.
It is important that the reasons for my action be understood by all citizens. As you know, the Supreme Court of the
United States has decided that separate public educational facilities for the races are inherently [by nature] unequal
and therefore compulsory school segregation laws are unconstitutional. . . . Source: Address by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, 9/24/57
What did Pres. Eisenhower do in reaction to the events above?
How did the President explain why he had to do it and the role of the Executive Branch?
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Activity #3 How was the situation in Little Rock resolved and what were its effects on the Civil Rights Movement?
Describe what is happening in this photo?
Who are the troops, who do they work for?
. . . Little Rock and the developments following in its wake marked the turning of the tide. In
September, 1957, desegregation was stalemated. Little Rock broke the stalemate. Virginia early
felt the impact of the Little Rock developments. By the end of 1958, the “Old Dominion” state
had entrenched itself behind some thirty-four new segregation bulwarks [barriers] — the whole
gamut of evasive devices that had spread across the South to prevent desegregation. It was a self-styled program of
“massive resistance,” a program which other states admittedly sought to
duplicate. But as the Bristol (Va.) Herald-Courier observed in late 1958, when the showdown
came, “‘Massive resistance’ met every test but one. It could not keep the schools open and
segregated.”. . . Source: James W. Vander Zanden, “The Impact of Little Rock,” 1962
Why was this event so important in the History of the Civil Rights
Movement and America?
How was this event, Little Rock Nine an example of Federalism?
The problem we all live with — by Norman Rockwell
How does the artist portray Ruby’s going to her 1st day of school?
What does the title of the painting mean to you?
In Spring 1960, Ruby Bridges was one of
several African-Americans in New Orleans to
take a test to determine which children would
be the first to attend integrated schools. The
court-ordered first day of integrated schools in
New Orleans, November 14, 1960, was
commemorated by Norman Rockwell in the
painting The Problem We All Live With.[3] As
Bridges describes it, "Driving up I could see
the crowd, but living in New Orleans, I actually
thought it was Mardi Gras. There was a large
crowd of people outside of the school. They
were throwing things and shouting, and that
sort of goes on in New Orleans at Mardi
Gras."[3] Former marshal Charles Burks later
recalled, "She showed a lot of courage. She
never cried. She didn't whimper. She just
marched along like a little soldier, and we're all
very proud of her."[4]
As soon as Bridges got into the school, white
parents went in and brought their own children
out; all but one of the white teachers also
refused to teach while a black child was
enrolled. Only Barbara Henry, from Boston,
Massachusetts, was willing to teach Bridges,
and for over a year Mrs. Henry taught her
alone, "as if she were teaching a whole class."
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Aim: The Civil Rights Movement—Buses, and the Montgomery Bus Boycotts
Do Now: Read the following summary about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and answer the questions below.
On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white
man. In response, the Women's Political Council distributed fliers throughout the community urging AfricanAmericans to boycott the bus line on the day of Mrs. Parks's trial. The following Monday Mrs. Parks was found
guilty of disorderly conduct and fined. It was on this day in the afternoon at Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church that a
meeting was held, it was at this meeting that the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., selected as the new organization's president. That evening a meeting was held at the Holt Street
Baptist Church at which it was decided that continuing the bus boycott would be an effective way to protest the
segregated bus service.
In terms of participation, the bus boycott was an immediate success. Virtually all of the African-Americans who
formerly patronized the bus service now walked, arranged carpools or found other means of transportation. Despite
the strong participation in the boycott and the financial hardship experienced by the bus company, the laws were not
changed. The Montgomery Improvement Association filed suit in federal court on behalf of those discriminated
against by the bus service. On June 2, 1956, a federal court ruled for the Montgomery Improvement Association and
declared segregated bus service to be unconstitutional. The ruling was appealed to the United States Supreme Court
who, on November 13, 1956, upheld the lower court's findings. The boycott ended on December 20, 1956, 382 days
after Mrs. Parks's conviction, when the court order requiring integrated bus service was served to Montgomery
officials.
What did Rosa Parks do?
What did it lead other African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama to do?
What Civil Rights victory resulted from this case and protest?
Activity #1-Put a caption to each of these pictures-they are all about the Montgomery Bus Boycott
#1
#3
#2
#4
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Activity #2- Read this speech by Dr. King and answer the guiding questions
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Address to First Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) Mass Meeting, at
Holt Street Baptist Church; Montgomery Alabama (5 December 1955)
Web Version: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
This Speech was given the night following Ms. Parks arrest
… And you know, my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron
feet of oppression. [sustained applause] There comes a time, my friends, when people get tired of being plunged
across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. (Keep talking) There
comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life's July and left standing amid
the piercing chill of an alpine November. (that's right) [applause] There comes a time. (Yes sir teach) [applause
continues]
What has Dr. King and his followers had enough of?
We are here, we are here this evening because we are tired now. (Yes) [applause] And I want to say that we are not
here advocating violence. (No) We have never done that. (Repeat that, repeat that) [applause] I want it to be known
throughout Montgomery and throughout this nation (Well) that we are Christian people. (Yes) [applause] We believe
in the Christian religion. We believe in the teachings of Jesus. (Well) The only weapon that we have in our hands
this evening is the weapon of protest. (Yes) [applause] That's all.
In what way will Dr. King protest?
And certainly, certainly, this is the glory of America, with all of its faults. (Yeah) This is the glory of our democracy.
If we were incarcerated behind the iron curtains of a Communistic nation, we couldn't do this. If we were dropped in
the dungeon of a totalitarian regime, we couldn't do this. (All right) But the great glory of American democracy is
the right to protest for right. (That's right) [applause] My friends, don't let anybody make us feel that we are to be
compared in our actions with the Ku Klux Klan or with the White Citizens Council. [applause] There will be no
crosses burned at any bus stops in Montgomery. (Well, that's right) There will be no white persons pulled out of
their homes and taken out on some distant road and lynched for not cooperating. [applause] There will be nobody
among us who will stand up and defy the Constitution of this nation. [applause] We only assemble here because of
our desire to see right exist. [applause] My friends, I want it to be known that we're going to work with grim and
bold determination to gain justice on the buses in this city. [applause]
What are Dr. King’s feelings about the United States?
How will his protests be different than those of the KKK?
And we are not wrong; we are not wrong in what we are doing. (Well) If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this
nation is wrong. (Yes sir) [applause] If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. (Yes)
[applause] If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong.
What is point of this last portion, what is meant that, “If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this
nation is wrong”?
Activity #3- Read King Statement and answer questions below
Martin Luther King Jr.: Statement on Ending the Bus Boycott; Montgomery, Alabama (20 December 1956)
Web Version: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol3/561220.000Statement_on_Ending_the_Bus_Boycott.htm
This is the time that we must evince calm dignity and wise restraint. Emotions must not run wild. Violence must
not come from any of us, for if we become victimized with violent intents, we will have walked in vain, and our
twelve months of glorious dignity will be transformed into an eve of gloomy catastrophe. As we go back to the
busses let us be loving enough to turn an enemy into a friend. We must now move from protest to reconciliation.
It is my firm conviction that God is working in Montgomery. Let all men of goodwill, both Negro and white,
continue to work with Him. With this dedication we will be able to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight
of man's inhumanity to man to the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.
What is the racial goal of this protest movement after it wins and receives its demands?
Is this movement trying to destroy America or repair it?
Regents Review Point: Compare Rosa Parks with Upton Sinclair person that had an impact on American
History. Create an Organization chart (Double Bubble)
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Aim: Freedom Rides
Do Now: Look at this Picture
Where were these men going, what were they trying to prove?
Handout #
In early 1947, CORE announced plans to send eight
white and eight black men into the upper South to
test the Supreme Court (Boyton V Virginia) ruling
that declared segregation in interstate travel
unconstitutional. This integrated team of sixteen
people with George Houser and Bayard Rustin as
the organizers, set out on the Journey of
Reconciliation, a two week pilgrimage through
Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky
on Greyhound and Trailway buses. The Journey of
Reconciliation achieved a great amount of
attention and was the foundation for the many
direct action campaigns led by CORE in the future.
Freedom Riders
In 1961 a group of 18 members of CORE boarded bus to again demonstrate the injustices of Jim Crow
Laws and test the government’s commitment to ensure that discrimination did not occur on interstate buses.
On May 14th in Anniston, Alabama, a white mob awaited the arrival of the first bus bearing the Freedom
Riders at the Greyhound station. As it arrived, they attacked the bus with iron pipes and baseball bats and
slashed its tires. The terrified bus driver hastily drove out of the station, but the punctured tires forced the bus
to pull off the road in a rural area outside of Anniston. The white mob that pursued the bus fire bombed it and
held the doors shut preventing riders from exiting the burning bus. Finally an undercover policeman drew his
gun, and forced the doors to be opened. The mob pulled the Freedom Riders off the bus and beat them with
iron pipes. The bus became completely engulfed in flames, and was completely destroyed.
\
Activity #1- Summarize the experiences and travel route of the CORE members.
Use the photos along with the map and captions to complete your answer.
On May 21, 1961, the
surviving contingent of
Riders headed from
Birmingham to
Montgomery, protected by
a contingent of the
Alabama State Highway
Patrol. However, when
they reached the
Montgomery city limits,
the Highway Patrol
abandoned them. At the
bus station was waiting a
large white mob that
viciously beat them with
baseball bats and iron
pipes. The local police
allowed the beatings to go
on uninterrupted. Again,
white Freedom Riders,
branded "Nigger-Lovers,"
were singled out for
particularly brutal beatings.
There is a famous picture
of Jim Zwerg with blood
running all down his suit.
Justice Department official
Seigenthaler was beaten
and left unconscious lying
in the street. Ambulances
refused to take the
wounded to the hospital.
Brave local blacks rescued
them, and a number of the
Freedom Riders were
hospitalized.
What can be said about the South and their willingness to cooperate with these Civil Rights protesters?
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Aim: The Fight for the true Right to Vote:
Do Now:
What was the 15th Amendment?
What were the Poll Tax and Literacy Test?
How were Blacks prevented from the right to vote in ways that didn’t violate the15th Amendment?
Activity #1- Freedom Summer
Watch the Video at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/09_summer.html click on the
video tab.
Describe why the right to vote was seen as important to the Civil Rights Movement?
What steps did leaders take to try and register Blacks to vote?
What obstacles did Freedom volunteers meet in their efforts?
Activity #2- Voting Rights Act
What tactic used by the South became illegal through this law?
What power was given to the Federal Government in certain States in the US in regards to voter
registration?
Activity #3-The 24th Amendment
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or
Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress,
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or
other tax. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
What did this Amendment make illegal?
Summary: Explain the meaning of this statement; The Voting Rights Act and 24 th Amendment restored the
‘true’ meaning of the 15th Amendment
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Aim: Protest, Conflict and Victory
Do Now: View the Greensboro, S.C. Sit-In Campaign
These people are sitting at a White Only Lunch Counter
What is happening in this picture?
How is the act by the people sitting at the lunch-counter
a type of Civil Rights Protest?
What did many Americas feel when they saw this
picture? Who is the victim and who is the criminal?
Activity #1 View the way police broke up Civil Rights marches in Birmingham Alabama
How would you describe the police action?
What do you believe the reaction was of people who saw this on TV?
Activity #2-The March on Washington DC
In 1963, Dr. King organized a protest at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The purpose of this
protest was to encourage Congress to pass a proposed Bill called the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
250,000 people attend the March on Washington
At this march Dr. King delivered what would become
one of the most influential speeches in US history. His
‘I have a dream speech’ was filled with hope for an
America that was color blind.
After the speech, leaders of the rally met with Pres.
John F. Kennedy, who supported the event and Civil
Rights Act.
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Dr. King’s Speech-August 1963 http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html See bottom of site for Audio/Video
“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for
freedom in the history of our nation…
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the
Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of
Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end
the long night of their captivity.
What was the Emancipation Proclamation? Which President signed this statement?
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still
sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the
Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred
years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in
his own land.
Acc. to Dr. King has the promise of freedom been given to African Americans?
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote
the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a
promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black
men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness…
What promise note was every citizen supposed to receive in this country? What ‘check’ is Dr
King trying to cash?
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today…
What is the dream Dr. King has? What hopes did he have for the relationship Blacks and Whites
will have?
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every
hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children,
black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing
in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
What are your feelings about Dr.King and his message?
Activity #3-Victory-Civil Rights Act 1964




Barred unequal application of voter registration requirements.
Outlawed discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public
accommodations engaged in interstate commerce
Prohibited state and municipal governments from denying access to public facilities on grounds of
race, religion, gender, or ethnicity
Prevents discrimination by government agencies that receive federal funding
How did this law address the concerns made by the Civil Right Movement?
Why would Dr. King see the passage of this law as a step in the right direction? Create a T-Chart, one side
with quotes from Dr. King the other side with the way legislation tried to address those remarks.
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
The president acted as commander in chief in response to which event of the civil rights
movement?
(1) refusal of the governor of Arkansas to obey a federal court order to integrate public
schools in Little Rock
(2) desegregation of the city bus system in Montgomery, Alabama
(3) arrest of Martin Luther King Jr. during protests in Birmingham, Alabama
(4) assassination of Medgar Evers in Mississippi
Lunch counter sit-ins and the actions of freedom riders are examples of
(1) steps taken in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(2) programs dealing with affirmative action
(3) violent acts by the Black Panthers
(4) nonviolent attempts to oppose segregation
One similarity between the laws being challenged in the United States Supreme Court
cases of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Korematsu v. United States (1944) is that
(1) specific groups of people were being targeted based on race or ethnicity
(2) state laws were declared unconstitutional
(3) immigrants were relocated to prison camps
(4) federal laws segregating public transportation were upheld
Base your answers to the next 2 questions on the statement below and on your
knowledge of social studies.
. . . In 1961, James Farmer orchestrated and led the famous Freedom Rides through the
South, which are renowned for forcing Americans to confront segregation in bus
terminals and on interstate buses. In the spring of that year, James Farmer trained a
small group of freedom riders, teaching them to deal with the hostility they were likely
to encounter using nonviolent resistance. This training would serve them well. . . . —
Senator Charles Robb, “A Tribute to an American Freedom Fighter,” U.S. Senate
The principal goal of the activity described in this statement was to
(1) achieve racial integration of public facilities
(2) encourage change through violent means
(3) expand voting rights for African Americans
(4) force the president to send military troops into the South
The activities described in this statement helped lead to
(1) President Harry Truman’s order to desegregate the military
(2) passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
(3) ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
(4) a decision by the Supreme Court to integrate public schools
Which pair of Supreme Court cases demonstrates that the Supreme Court can change an
earlier decision?
(1) Schenck v. United States and United States v. Nixon
(2) Korematsu v. United States and Miranda v. Arizona
(3) Gideon v. Wainwright and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
(4) Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Which strategy did African-American students use when they refused to leave a “whites
only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960?
(1) economic boycott
(2) hunger strike
(3) petition drive
(4) civil disobedience
During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, activities of the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE), the National Urban League, and the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) illustrated that
(1) all civil rights groups use the same tactics
(2) different approaches can be used to achieve a common goal
(3) organizational differences usually lead to failure
(4) violence is the best tool for achieving social change
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was intended to end
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
(1) loyalty oaths for federal employees
(2) affirmative action programs in
education
(3) unfair treatment of the elderly
(4) discrimination based on race or sex
In 1954, the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka advanced
the civil rights movement by
(1) guaranteeing equal voting rights to African Americans
(2) banning racial segregation in hotels and restaurants
(3) declaring that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th amendment
(4) upholding the principle of separate but equal public facilities
Base your answers to the next 2 questions on the statement below and on your
knowledge of social studies.
Which conclusion about the success of efforts to end segregation in public schools in
the 1950s and 1960s can be drawn from the map?
(1) In 1964, a majority of southern states had no integrated schools.
(2) State governments were slow to integrate public school systems.
(3) A higher percentage of African American students attended integrated public
schools in Arkansas than in Oklahoma.
(4) Prior to 1964, a majority of African American students attended integrated schools
in former Confederate States.
The information on the map shows how southern states responded to
(1) demands for affirmative action programs
(2) civil rights legislation to ban segregation in restaurants
(3) state programs to implement school busing initiatives
(4) the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Which constitutional principle was tested in the cases of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v.
Board of Education of Topeka?
(1) separation of powers
(2) popular sovereignty
(3) equal protection of the law
(4) separation of church and state
. . . All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State
shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of
citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws. . . . — 14th Amendment, Section 1, 1868
How does the 14th Amendment define citizenship? [1]
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
How was the 14th Amendment intended to help formerly enslaved persons? [1]
Theme: Constitutional Principles
United States Supreme Court cases have dealt with a variety of important issues that
have affected American society.
Task:
Select one Supreme Court cases that have affected American society.
• Discuss the historical circumstances of the case
• Explain the Court’s decision in the case
• Discuss the impact of the decision on American society
Theme: Social Change
Events have influenced social change in American society.
Task:
Identify one event in United States history that has influenced social change and for the
event identified:
• Discuss the historical circumstances surrounding the event
• Show how the event was intended to bring about specific social change
• Evaluate the extent to which the event was successful in bringing about that change
Theme: Reform Movements
Reform movements have been an important part of United States history.
Task:
Identify one reform movements in the United States since 1800
• Describe the historical circumstances that led to the need for reform
• State one goal of the movement and discuss two actions taken by the government, a
group, or an individual in support of this goal
• Evaluate the extent to which the reform movement has made an impact on the United
States
Theme: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions — Controversial Issues
Many controversial domestic issues have divided the American people.
The United States government has taken actions to address these issues.
Task:
Identify one controversial domestic issue that has divided the American people and
• Discuss the historical background of the controversy
• Explain the point of view of those who supported this issue
• Explain the point of view of those who opposed this issue
• Discuss one United States government action that was taken to address this issue
Theme: Change — Turning Points
Major historical events are often referred to as turning points because they have led to
important political, social, and economic changes.
Task:
Identify a major event in United States history that was an important turning point and
for
• Describe the historical circumstances that led to the event
• Discuss the political, social, and/or economic changes that resulted from the event.
Theme: Contributions of Individuals to American Life
Throughout the 20th century, individuals attempted to address problems within
American society. Their efforts have had a significant impact on American life.
Task:
Identify an individual who had a significant impact on American life during the 20th
century and
• Describe a problem in American society that the individual tried to change
• Discuss an important contribution made by the individual to address this problem
• Evaluate the impact of the contribution on American life
Theme: Change
Throughout United States history, individuals other than presidents have played
significant roles that led to changes in the nation’s economy, government, or society.
Task:
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Select an individual, other than presidents, and the area in which they tried to bring
about change
• Discuss one action taken by the individual that led to changes in the nation’s economy,
government, or society
• Discuss changes that came about as a result of the individual’s action
Aim: What role did Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. play in forming the Civil Rights
Movement?
Prep: Student groups (3/4) will prepare K/W/L chart about Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Do Now: Student will read about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and answer questions
Teacher will assist in reading and check at desks student responses
Activity #1- Students will create captions for 4 photos-Museum walk
Teacher will place full size pictures of #s 1,2,3,4 around the room. A first passing will be for students to
write their own thoughts or questions, and a 2 nd passing for comments by students on student comments and
encourage groups to share their captions.
Activity #2- Whole Class ‘Dramatic’ Reading of King Speech with answers to questions
Teacher will move around room to assist and encourage
Activity #3- Group complete, groups will also complete K/W/L chart from Do Now.
Teacher will encourage notes that reach to analysis and evaluation of the acts and importance of Rosa Parks
and the Montgomery Bus Boycott…connections to Brown V Board of Ed. and Little Rock Nine will be
encouraged and brought up to students
Regents Review Point—Students will be allowed to replace Upton Sinclair with other nongovernmental individuals, focus for Regents essay prep…any form of organization will be accepted for
assignment.
Unit HW – Continue Civil Rights Graphic Organizer
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Over-Arching Understanding
Handout #
Overarching Essential Questions
What obstacles did Blacks in America face preCivil Rights Movement?
Demands of Civil Rights Movement
Groups block Civil Rights Movement
Methods of Civil Rights Protests
What legal and social methods did Black leaders
use to fight for their Rights
Legislation resulting from Civil Rights Protest
What were results of the Civil Rights Movement
Essential and Unit Questions
Students Understand as a Result of the Unit
Brown V Board of Education and its over-turning
of Plessy V Ferguson
What was the ruling and effect of Brown
V Board of Education?
Little-Rock Nine- Struggle to integrate and the role
of Federalism in applying the ruling of Brown V
Board…
What obstacles did school integration
faced from Southern Whites?
Dr. King’s philosophy of; civil disobedience,
integration of Blacks in American society, and role
as an orator
What did the Montgomery Bus Boycott
and Freedom Rides try to accomplish
with-in the Civil Rights Movement?
How Protest can affect the passing of Legislation
What was the significance of the March
on Washington (‘I have a dream’ speech)
Parameters of the 24th Amendment, Civil Rights
Act and Voting Rights Act
What Legislation helped protect the Civil
Rights of Black in America?
Did other minorities benefit from this
movement and their accomplishments?
Student Evidence of Understanding
Tasks and Projects:
Students analyze different documents and speeches of the era.
Students analyze different photo from the era.
Students create an organizational chart of all ‘major’ events
Students write a 1st person account of their experience in participation of a Civil Rights event
Tests and Writing Prompts:
Regents based Quiz
Regents based Essay Choice
Informal Assessment:
Completion of Notes in Student Packet
Leadership roles in class activities
Student Self-Assessment:
Name
Civil Rights Movement
Handout #
Students will need to know:
Key Terms: 14th Amendment, Segregation, Jim Crow Laws, Brown V Board of Education
Little Rock Nine, Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Sit-In, Civil
Disobedience, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act, voting Rights Act
Students will need to be able:
Analyze documents, charts photos and political cartoons
Listen to speeches for content, tone and message
Write in proper Regents essay form
Conduct group activities according to the norms and guidelines of our class
Teaching and Learning Experiences that will equip students
Unit Handout material
Group activities guidelines
Organizational Chart Rubric
Socratic Seminar Rubric
Museum Walk
Reading speeches and viewing photos and audio/video from the era
Highlighting over-arching concepts such as; Judicial Review, Federalism, and the Supremacy of US
Government
Group-assignments connecting this unit with others in US History (Progressivism, Reconstruction,
Vietnam…)