Sherri Helvie
Eighth-Grade Humanities
3/28/14
Civil Rights Movements in the United States:
Student Projects
Class Handouts
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
“Declaration of Sentiments” (Seneca Falls, NY,1848)
Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” (Akron, OH,1851)
“Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Gay Rights,” PBS Newshour Extra
Video and Film Resources
To Kill a Mockingbird
Eyes on the Prize (episodes 2 and 6)
Episode 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a32Uc1oP7s
Episode 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvmBuxPLZWs
Constitutional Amendments and Civil Rights Acts of Congress
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Data/ConstitutionalAmendments-and-Legislation/
Project Topics
 African American Civil Rights Movement
 Women’s Rights Movement
 LGBTQ Rights Movement
 Workers’ Rights Movement (Casar Chavez and the National Farm Workers
Assocation)
 Native American Rights Movement (AIM)
N.B. Talk to Patty about Spanish language options for your project.
1. Letter writing campaign: Write letters to your elected officials and local newspaper
encouraging them to sponsor or support legislation that promotes a civil rights cause. Your
letters should reflect your research on the history of the civil rights movement you’re supporting.
Letters to: Congressman Sam Farr, Senator Boxer, and Senator Feinstein, and a letter to the
editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel
2. Photo history of a movement: Compile 12-15 photos of a civil rights movement, and write
descriptive captions which outline a timeline and prominent people involved in the cause. Pay
attention to good design, formatting, and layout so that it will be a useful text for those reading it.
Your photo history may be compiled as a book, or in an electronic format of your choosing.
3. Family history: Conduct an interview with a family member or friend who was or is
involved in a civil rights movement. Include any photographs, flyers, posters, letters, or other
materials s/he might be able to provide in order to help illustrate the work that your family
member has done. The interview may be written up as a transcript or narrative, or videotaped
and edited together as a film.
4. Informational poster: Create an informational poster of a civil rights movement that
includes a timeline of important events (protests, acts of civil disobedience, legislation, court
decisions, prominent people, etc.)
5. Propose your own project: Pitch your own idea to me! Write up a 7-10 sentence proposal
that we can review and refine together, and we can talk about the next steps.