The Civil Rights Movement

In the American South

1955-1965
A Middle School Unit of Lesson Plans
By Charley Shrack and Dana Aquadro
 Table of Contents for the Social Studies Lessons

• Introduction

• Final Project Guidelines

• Resource List

• Lesson 1 – Geography of the Civil Rights Movement

• Lesson 2 – A Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement

• Lesson 3 – The Emmett Till Case

• Lesson 4 – The Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott

• Lesson 5 – Desegregating Little Rock Central High School

• Lesson 6 – Birmingham Alabama: The Children’s Crusade

 and the Fallout, Parts I and II

• Lesson 7 – Freedom Summer

• Lesson 8 – The Selma Alabama Voting Rights March

List of Lessons and Lesson Assignments:

Lesson 1 – Map project

Lesson 2 – Timeline project

Lesson 3 – Primary and secondary source readings

Film segments

Digital photo resources

Writing assignment

Lesson 4 – Primary and secondary source readings

Film segments

Digital photo resources

Lesson 5 - Primary source readings – Language Arts integration

Film segments and video viewing guide

Graphic novel poster project

Lesson 6 - Primary source readings – Language Arts integration

Film segments and video viewing guide

Digital photo resources

Slide photo resources

Segregation poster project

Lesson 7 - Primary source readings – Language Arts integration

Writing activity

Lesson 8 - Primary source readings – Language Arts integration

Writing activity

Final Project – joint effort in Language Arts and Social Studies

Introduction: Summer 2004

We live in an age of terror and terrorists. Since the events of 9/11, we are reminded daily
through the news and from our leaders that we, as Americans, are marked targets. We are
reminded that we must exercise caution, and that we must show courage and defiant
strength towards those who seek to deny us our freedoms and the blessings of our nation.
It is a commonplace speech that rallies us to national unity and pride for our American
way of life.

How ironic it is, then, that just so recently ago, just a mere 40-some-odd years, so many
Americans were denied these freedoms and blessings by other Americans. Right here in
our own country! And that these domestic terrorists gleefully used terror tactics on a very
regular basis towards their target group, in order to keep them down, scared to stand up
and participate in the culture which said it was for all men equally.

Luckily for all of us, there were plenty of brave souls back then who recognized the evils
being put upon them and the terrorists who propagated them. They stood up for what
was right and for the true promise of America, and in so doing they not only changed the
culture back in their time, but serve as an example for us today. These brave souls came
from all walks of life – rural slums, small-town housing projects, middle class
neighborhoods, wealthy northern cities. They were black, white, Christian, Jewish,
young, old, male, and female.

In this unit on the Civil Rights Movement in the South, years 1955-1965, we will try to
focus our students not only on the facts of the events but on the lives of the people who
lived them. Most lessons features primary source materials featuring the ideas and
reflections of the folks who were there. Many assignments seek to place the student back
into the dilemmas and issues as they appeared at the time. Our hope is that our students
will not only learn their history and improve their reading and writing, but will be
inspired by the stories they read and find encouragement and inspiration for facing the
challenging world they are growing up in.

- Charley Shrack and Dana Aquadro

Bellows Falls Middle School
Source List

Birmingham City Segregation Laws - handout

Carson, Clayborne, et al. editors. The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader. Viking:
New York, 1991.

Levine, Ellen. Freedom’s Children. G.P. Putnam & Sons: New York, 1993.

Williams, Juan. Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954-1965. Viking:
New York, 1987.

Video and digital footage from “Civil Rights Instruction in the Classroom,” Keene
State College, July 2004.

Video series: Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954-1965. Blackside,
Inc. Turner Home Video, 1987.

* Sources used exclusively for the Language Arts unit are listed there
 Civil Rights in the South – Final Project
Design a Monument

Throughout the course of this unit you have studied many notable people and
events, each of which added to the cause of winning greater civil rights for Americans.
Since this was a very important era of American history, these people and events must not
be forgotten. Many of them have been memorialized with historical markers and
monuments which you have seen in the pictures shown in class. We saw statues,
gravestones, informational markers, plaques, and public sculptures.

For this final project, you and a friend will design and original monument to
remember and commemorate any person, persons, location, or event from the Civil
Rights Movement in the South, from 1955-1965. You can pick something that already
has a monument (and simply create your new one) or you can pick something for which
there is no current existing monument.

To complete this project, follow the directions below:

______ Get together with a friend or partner.

______ Talk about who, what, or where it is you would like to memorialize with your
monument. Pick something you were especially interested in or were inspired by.

Lesson 1 - Geography of Civil Rights Events in the South

VT Standard:

Objectives: Students create a hand-drawn map of the American southern states,

marking the location of key civil rights movement events.

Students will be able to identify, on a map quiz, the geographic location of

major civil rights events in southern US states.

Materials: drawing paper

Colored pencils
Atlases
Instructions and list of locations to find
Copies of assessment quiz
Research access

Procedure: Introduce the lesson by explaining the geographic location of much of the
civil rights movement in the American south. Hand out instructions, atlases, and drawing
supplies. Detailed procedures for making the map are on the instruction sheet.
To research major events and match them to map locations, make sure students have
ample access to research tools such as books, Internet, or the library.

Assessment: Quiz. Students may use their completed maps for the quiz, as the quiz is
really a test of the quality of their map.

Map - Geography of Civil Rights Events in the South

Most of the major events in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s took
place in the South. You can travel there today and still find many of the places where
history was made.

In the project, create an original hand-drawn map of the American South. Use the paper
provided, colored pencils, and a good atlas. Label each location of each event with a
special symbol, which you create (include a map key!) Next to each location, tell what
happened there.

Your map must contain:

States: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Maryland

Cities: Richmond, VA Birmingham, AL Little Rock, AK

Raleigh, NC Montgomery, AL Tuscaloosa, AL
Charlotte, NC Jackson, MS Washington D.C.
Columbia, SC Memphis, TN
Atlanta, GA New Orleans, LA

Towns: Selma, AL Money, MS

Philadelphia, MS Meridian, MS
Sumner, MS

Rivers: Mississippi River

Alabama River
Tallahatchie River
EVENTS: Match each event to its geographic location and place it on your map. You
will need to do research for this, either in your history books, library, or Internet.

Emmett Till murdered

Emmett Till alleged murderers put on trial
Governor George Wallace blocks entrance to University of Alabama here
Martin Luther King, Jr. born, raised, and buried here
Martin Luther King, Jr. pastor of Dexter Ave. Church here
Rosa Parks refuses to move on the bus, Bus boycott begins
Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated here
Medgar Evers assassinated here
Three civil rights student workers, Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman, murdered here
March for Voting Rights, 1964, held between these locations (draw the path of the march)
Governor Orval Faubus opposes integrating the high school in this city
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech given here

QUIZ - Geography of Civil Rights Events in the South

Use your completed map to answer the following questions. Place your answer in the
blank space provided.

1. Emmitt Till was murdered in the town of ____________________________.

2. Emmitt Till alleged murderers put on trial in ________________________.

3. Governor George Wallace blocks entrance to University of Alabama in the city of

_____________________________.

4. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, raised, and buried in _________________.

5. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the pastor of Dexter Ave. Church in
__________________________________.

6. Rosa Parks refuses to move on the bus and the bus boycott begins in
_____________________________.

7. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in ____________________________.

8. Medgar Evers was assassinated in _______________________________.

9. Three civil rights student workers, Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman, were
murdered in _________________________________.

10. March for Voting Rights, 1964, was held between these locations:
___________________________________________________________
 11. Governor Orval Faubus opposed integrating the high school in the city of
___________________________________________.

12. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in this city:
____________________________.

Lesson 2 – Timeline of Major Civil Rights Events

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students create an original, hand-drawn timeline of major civil rights era
events. Timelines will be made to a determined scale, and will include both information
and illustrations.

Materials: timeline paper – 12 x 36 inches

Colored pencils
Rulers
Instruction sheet

Procedure: Make sure students have the scaling skills needed to create a timeline with a
functional scale.
Upon completing the map project, introduce students to the need to keep a
correct chronological sequence of events. Since the Civil Rights movement was a series
of different events over the course of roughly a decade, keeping a straight timeline is
especially valuable and important.

Assessment: Students complete a quiz, and they may use their completed timeline for
the quiz. The quiz tests the quality of their work on the timeline project.
Timeline of Major Civil Rights Events

Create a timeline of the major Civil Rights events which you located on your map. The
timeline will help give you a sense of when each event happened, which were earlier in
the movement, and which were the “culminating events.”

Follow these directions to set up your timeline:

1. Your timeline must cover a 20 year time span. Take the timeline paper provided
and figure out how to divide it up into 20 even parts. Each part will count as 1 year, and
must be large enough to contain a picture (which you draw) and a short paragraph (which
you write). THINK THIS THROUGH!! Talk it out and plan with your partner before
you start making marks on the paper.

2. Begin your timeline with the year 1950 and end with 1970.

3. Place the following events on your timeline, in the year they happened. For each
event, you must include the following:

a. A short written description of the event (2-4 sentences tops)

b. A simple original drawing of the event or something that is symbolic of
the event. Be creative with this.

4. These are the events for your timeline. Research each event in the library or
online to learn about it and the year it happened. Check off each one when you
are finished putting it on your timeline.

a. Supreme Court rules against segregation in Brown vs. Board of Education

of Topeka, Kansas.

b. Emmett Till murdered in Money, Mississippi.

c. Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas, refuses to integrate Little Rock High

School.

d. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes pastor at the Dexter Avenue Church
in Montgomery, Alabama.

e. Rosa Parks stays in her seat on the bus and the Montgomery Alabama Bus
Boycott begins.

f. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home is bombed in Montgomery, Alabama.

g. George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, refuses to integrate the University

of Alabama by standing in the auditorium doorway.
 h. Anti-segregation demonstrations in Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham,
Alabama.

i. Four teenage girls killed in 16th Street Baptist Church bombing,

Birmingham, Alabama

j. Civil Rights Act passed by the US Congress

k. Voting Rights March held in Selma, Alabama. Include Bloody Sunday

and the successful march from Selma to Montgomery.

l. Civil Rights workers Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney disappear near

Philadelphia, Mississippi. Their murdered bodies are found many weeks
later.

m. Voting Rights Act passed by the US Congress

n. Dr. Martin Luther King gives his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in
Washington, DC.

o. Dr. Martin Luther King assassinated in Memphis, TN

Quiz - Timeline of Major Civil Rights Events

Use your completed timeline to answer the following questions:

For each set of events, circle the set which is farther apart in time.

1. “I Have A Dream” speech and Voting Rights Act passed

or

2. Emmett Till murder and Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney murder

or

3. Montgomery Bus Boycott and Selma, Alabama march

or

4. Brown vs. Board of Education decision and Little Rock High School

or

5. Martin Luther King, Jr. pastor at Dexter Ave. Church and his home getting
bombed
 or

6. “I Have A Dream” speech and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination

or

7. Brown vs. Board of Education and Selma, Alabama march

or

8. Birmingham anti-segregation demonstrations and 16th Street Baptist Church

bombing.

______ Design your monument or memorial. It must have two parts:

______ a color illustration, blueprint, or drawing of what the monument will look
like. The illustration must have a 1 inch border around the edges.

______ a typewritten page with the words that will be inscribed on your
monument. This page must have a 1 inch margin around the edges and
the font must be large enough so people can clearly read it at a normal
viewing distance. Be sure to include correct dates on this section.

**Hint: Good monuments help remind people of what or who it was that is being
remembered. Great monuments help us “feel” what happened in the past. Be artistic and
try to create a monument that evokes (brings out) the feelings of what happened or who
the persons were that are being remembered.

_______ Put the two parts together on one piece of construction paper. Put them side-
by-side, with the construction paper acting as a frame around both pieces. This gives
your project a finished, museum-quality look.

______ Make sure your names are on the front lower right hand side of the construction
paper frame.

Lesson 3 – The Emmett Till Murder - Money, Mississippi, 1955

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students will understand the events which led to the murder of the Chicago
teenager Emmett Till in Money Mississippi in August of 1955.
 Students will read a primary source from the time of the event and respond
to content and reflection type questions.

Materials: ~ Eyes on the Prize by Juan Williams, chapter 2 pgs. 36-57

~ “Coming of Age in Mississippi” from Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights
Reader, Carson et al., editors., pg. 41-43
~ “Emmett Till” A&E Biography video
~ video and digital footage from Money and Sumner, MS

Procedure: Introduce the story of Emmett Till by sharing footage from Money and
Sumner, relaying to students how such a seminal event grew out of such a humble part of
the country.
Have students read Ch. 2 of Eyes on the Prize and complete the writing
response for the chapter. Review the questions and students’ answers as a class.
Have students read the selection from “Coming of Age in Mississippi” and
complete the reading guide. Review the questions and students’ answers as a class.
Share the film “Emmett Till” by A&E Biography as a closing activity.
The film will take about 1 full class period.

Assessment: The reading guides can be scored for assessment. After completing this
lesson and the lesson on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, students can choose which event
to study in further depth via a cartooning-type project (for an additional graded item).

Reading Guide for “Coming of Age in Mississippi” by Anne Moody

1. Was the murder of a black person in Mississippi uncommon? How does Anne
Moody tell us?

2. What was Anne’s mama’s reaction to Anne when she brought up the Emmett Till
murder? Why do you think Mama reacted this way?

3. What was Mama’s advice to Anne when Anne went off to work? Why do you
think Mama told her this?

4. How did Anne feel about the way her mama reacted? Give a supporting fact or
quote from the text to prove your opinion.

5. According to Mrs. Burke, why was Emmett Till killed? What does this tell us
about segregation in Mississippi at this time in history?

6. At the end of their conversation, Mrs. Burke says “See, that boy was just fourteen
too. It’s a shame he had to die so soon.” What does this quote tell you about
Mrs. Burke’s opinion of the event?
 7. How did the conversation with Mrs. Burke change the way Anne felt about herself
and her own safety?

8. What two groups of people did Anne say she learned to hate by the time she was
fifteen years old? Were the reasons for hating each group different? What were
those reasons? What do you think would have to happen for Anne for her to learn
not to hate these groups of people? Give specific reasons for your answers.

Writing assignment for “Standing for Justice: Mississippi and the Till Case”

Now that you have read the chapter on the Emmett Till case, select ONE of the
questions below and answer in a full essay.

1. In a strong comparison essay, compare and contrast the points of view regarding
the Emmett Till case. On one side, give what you think the opinion would be of a
typical white segregationist in Mississippi. Draw on the Anne Moody reading for
some ideas. On the other side, give the opinion of someone who thinks that the
murder of Emmett Till was wrong, and why they would say it was wrong.

You do not have to give your own opinion in this essay – just show both sides of
the issue. If you want to give you opinion, make sure you give plenty of time to
explaining why your opinion is the right one.

2. Some people think that Mamie Till, Emmett’s mother, should not have had an
open casket funeral for her murdered son. Others think it was a courageous thing
to do. In a short essay, give your opinion if you think it was or was not an
appropriate thing to do, and be sure to say why.

Remember, your essay must have a strong introduction and conclusion, supportive body
paragraphs with clear details from your readings, clear transition sentences, and a title.

Lesson 4 – The Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students will understand the events which precipitated the Montgomery Bus
Boycott from 1955-1956.
Students will study primary sources from Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., to learn the step-by-step sequence of events leading to the boycott.
Students will weigh the value of social activism against the potential cost
to themselves and their loved ones.
Materials: ~ “Interview with Rosa Parks” from My Soul is Rested, by Howell Raines
~ “Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. at Holt Street Baptist Church,” from
Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader, edited by Clayborne Carson et al.
pg. 48-51.
~ “Montgomery Bus Boycott” in Eyes on the Prize video
~ video and digital resources from Civil Rights trip
~ blank overhead transparencies and markers
~ persuasive essay writing instructions
~ writing paper

Procedure: Part I - Introduce the Bus Boycott by sharing pictures of modern day
Montgomery, including the Alabama State House, Dexter Ave. Baptist Church, Holt
Street Baptist, and the historical markers describing the actions of Rosa Parks.
Save the pics of MLK’s parsonage for the activity wherein students weigh
the value of social activism against the potential cost to themselves and their loved ones.
Students should read the two primary source selections from Rosa Parks
and MLK and complete the reading guides.
Review the information with the Eyes on the Prize film segment.

Part II – Have students generate lists of pros and cons of getting involved
in social activism. Students can work in groups and share their lists on overheads.
Present the facts of the MLK parsonage bombing so students can use it in
their thinking.
After students share and collaborate as a group, they can write a short
persuasive essay either for or against getting involved in a social activism type
movement.

Assessment: The persuasive essay can be scored using a VT standards-based rubric.

Essays which are completed successfully can be kept in the students’ state writing
portfolio.

Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott – Primary Sources Reading Guide:

Reading 1 – Interview with Rosa Parks

1. Where did Rosa Parks work?

2. According to Rosa Parks, which parts of the bus were full and which had empty
seats?

3. Where did Rosa Parks choose to sit? In the white or colored section?

4. Why did the bus driver eventually ask Rosa Parks and the others in her row to
move?
 5. What did the passenger who was supposed to get Rosa Park’s seat say to her?

6. What did the bus driver say to Rosa Parks?

7. What did the bus drive do when Rosa Parks didn’t move?

8. In your own words, how do you think Rosa Parks handled the situation? What
would you have done? Why?

Reading 2 – Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. at Holt Street Baptist Church

1. According to the first paragraph of his speech, MLK Jr. says they have gathered
because of their love for what?

2. In the second paragraph, MLK Jr. says that Negroes have been intimidated for
what reason?

3. Why do you think MLK Jr. says he is happy Rosa Parks was the one to refuse to
move her seat. Why? What was it about Rosa Parks as a person that made her an
especially effective person to begin the social protest?

4. Explain, in your own words, the meaning of this sentence from MLK Jr.’s speech:
“There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering
sunlight of life’s July and left standing amidst the piercing chill of an Alpine
November.”

5. Why does MLK Jr. say that the Bus protest shows how good America is (read
paragraph four).

6. Explain, in your own words, the meaning of this sentence from MLK Jr.’s speech:
“We are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs down
like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

7. In order to have a successful protest, what does MLK Jr. tell his listeners what
they need to have and do?

8. In your opinion, do you think MLK Jr.’s speech is effective to motivate people for
the bus boycott? Why or why not? Give reasons for your opinions.
Persuasive Writing – Is Social Action Worth the Risk?

In this lesson you have read about and seen the results and the cost of protesting social
ills. Both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., stood up for their cause and achieved
results, but both paid a price as well.

Is social action worth the risk to you and your loved ones? What is your opinion? In a
short but thorough persuasive essay, convince your reader that your opinion is the right
one. Make sure to give specific reasons. Also, don’t forget to give at least one reason
why you disagree with someone who has the other opinion (the counter-argument).

Your essay should be about 4-5 paragraphs long, with a clear introduction and
conclusion, attention-grabbing hook sentences, transition sentences between ideas,
specific supporting details, and an original title. Also, don’t forget that counter-argument!

Lesson 5 – Desegregating Little Rock Central High School

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students will understand the events at Little Rock Central High School in
1957, and how it was a test of the Supreme Court ruling as well as the power of the
federal government over states.
Students will read primary sources from the Little Rock Nine and work on
writing assignments in Language Arts class.
Students will select one event - Emmett Till murder, Montgomery Bus
Boycott, or Little Rock Nine, and create a poster-size graphic novel version of the events.

Materials: ~ Eyes on the Prize video of historical footage of Little Rock protests.
~ Video viewing guide
~ Primary source material – in Language Arts class
~ Primary source reading guide – also in Language Arts class
~ poster paper
~ Graphic novel instructions
~ colored pencils and other drawing supplies

Procedure: In Social Studies class, students view the events at Little Rock in depth via
the Eyes on the Prize film documentary of the event. Students follow along and gather
information from the film on their viewing guide.
In Language Arts class, students read and extended primary source reading
from the book Freedom’s Children, and respond to the reading via a reading guide
provided in the Language Arts class.

Assessment: In-class review of the video viewing guide and primary source reading
guide.
Integration at Little Rock Central High School – Eyes on the Prize Video Viewing
Guide

View the film in class and answer the questions below. The teacher will pause the film
from time to time so you have time for full, complete answers.

1. What Constitutional Amendment makes segregation unconstitutional?

2. Southerners in the film said that, in their opinion, integration was an attack on
what?

3. What reason was given for Autherine Lucy’s temporary suspension from the
University of Alabama? Then, what was the reason for her expulsion?

4. What was President Dwight Eisenhower’s opinion of the events unfolding in the
South regarding integration? What were the reasons he gives for his opinions?

5. Why did Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus resist integration and use the Arkansas
National Guard to stop black kids from entering the school?

6. How many black students were to enter Little Rock Central High School that
morning? Were they all there?

7. What happened to Elizabeth Eckford? How did she get home safely?

8. Other southern states began to do the same thing that Arkansas had done. Why?
Who was blamed for allowing Arkansas to prevent the integration of their school?

9. How did the crowd outside of Little Rock school react when they heard that the
black students were finally inside the school? What happened to the nine black
kids at that point?

10. How did President Eisenhower finally respond to the crisis in Little Rock? What
did he do to force the school to integrate?

11. How were the Little Rock Nine finally brought to school?
 12. Who followed around each of the nine black kids to ensure their safety?

13. How did the presence of the Little Rock Nine in the school slowly change the
feelings and attitudes of some of the white kids in that school?

14. How did Minnie Jean Brown strike back?

15. What happened the following year that kept black kids out of the schools? What
other states followed the example of Arkansas?

Create a Graphic Novel of A Civil Rights Event

Graphic novels are comic-book style versions of serious events and/or works of literature.
They depict, both through illustrations and through text, the details of a story in a way
that goes beyond mere words.

Select one civil rights event that you have studied and create an 8 frame graphic novel
(like a comic strip) of the events which occurred. Use the correct names of people,
places, and things. Make sure your drawings help convey correct historical data and
accurate facts. If you need to go back to some of the readings you did in Social Studies
and Language Arts, that’s fine! Do some review research before beginning your art
work.

Make sure you have at least 8 frames in your graphic novel poster. Each frame must have
text and illustrations.

Choose to depict one of these civil rights events: Emmett Till Murder and Trial
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Little Rock Nine

Your score is based on: Historical accuracy of the text, Historical accuracy of your
illustrations, Neatness, and if it’s on time for the due date!

Lesson 6 – Birmingham Alabama: The Children’s Crusade and Fallout,

Part I & II

VT Standards:
Objectives: Part I - Students will study the events of the Children’s Crusade in
Birmingham in 1963, focusing on the primary source memoirs of people who
participated.
Students will witness the depth of segregation in Birmingham via a project
based on the Birmingham municipal codes for segregation.

Part II - Students will examine the results of the demonstrations, including:

a. the truce agreement in the city of Birmingham
b. the speech given by President Kennedy regarding civil rights
legislation
c. the March on Washington
d. the murder of the four girls at 16th Ave. Baptist Church

Materials: ~ Birmingham Segregation Codes and Laws handout

~ “The Birmingham Truce Agreement,” Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights
Reader, edited by Clayborne Carson et al.
~ “President Kennedy’s Nationally Televised Speech, June 11, 1963,”
Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader, edited by Clayborne Carson et al.
~ selections from Freedom’s Children (to be done in Language Arts class)
~ video and digital footage from the 16th Ave. Baptist Church and Kelly
Ingram Park in Birmingham, AL.
~ audio footage from Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and the footsoldiers
~ video Eyes on the Prize – episode 4 “Freedom in the Air”
~ video viewing guide
~ poster paper
~ colored pencils and other drawing supplies

Part I Procedure: Open the lesson by explaining the Birmingham, AL, was
considered the most strongly segregated city in all the south. The segregation laws speak
for themselves. Distribute copies of the ordinances, as well as the instructions for the
poster project. In this project, students will read the laws and select some to put into
graphic novel form on a poster display. Illustrated as such, the depth of the segregation
becomes apparent.
Concurrent with this project in Social Studies, students will read a
substantial set of primary sources from participants in the Birmingham affair in their
Language Arts class.
Show the video and digital pic footage from the trip of the 16th Ave Baptist
Church and Kelly Ingram memorials to help tell the story of the five days of the
Children’s Crusade demonstrations. Use this to then move into the video presentation in
Eyes on the Prize, which students can watch while finding answers to the viewing guide
questions.
Share the audio footage of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and the footsoldiers at
this time, or this can be in Language Arts as a connection to the primary source work
being done in that class.

Assessment: Segregation laws posters can be graded for any criteria chosen by the
teacher, so long as it is communicated to the student clearly and in advance.
Part II Procedure: Students read “Birmingham Truce Agreement” and “JFK’s
Nationally Televised Speech, June 11, 1963” and complete the reading guides. Discuss
these in class and decide if the Birmingham demonstrations had been successful.
Students can record their opinions and reasons for their opinions on index cards or the
like.

Show the remainder of the Eyes on the Prize film featuring the March on
Washington and the murder of the four girls at 16th Avenue Baptist Church and have
students re-visit their opinions as to the success of the Birmingham demonstrations.
Encourage discussion in the class and see if student’s opinions had changed.

Reading Guide for “The Birmingham Truce Agreement” and “John F. Kennedy’s
Nationally Televised Speech”

1. Read the Birmingham Truce Agreement. In your opinion, does the agreement end
the segregation laws which you learned about in the poster you made?

2. Do you think that the Truce Agreement will end segregation in Birmingham?

3. The agreement calls for blacks to be hired to be sales people and/or cashiers.
What types of challenges do you think people in these new jobs will face once
they are hired?

4. What types of segregation and discrimination does President Kennedy mention in

the first few paragraphs? What types of things should all Americans be able to
do?

5. What do you think President Kennedy meant when he said “Laws alone cannot
make men see right.” Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not?

6. President Kennedy said that, although the slaves had been freed by President
Lincoln, that their heirs (their descendents) are not fully free – “they are not yet
freed from social and economic oppression.” Based on you study of civil rights
in this unit, list some specific ways that black Americans were socially oppressed
and economically oppressed.

7. Towards the end of the speech, President Kennedy asks Congress to enact
legislation (pass laws) to do what things?

8. Based on your answer to number 7, do you think the Birmingham demonstrations

and protests were successful? Why or why not? Give specific reasons for your
answers.
Video Viewing Guide – Freedom in the Air

1. What was “Project C?”

2. What were some of the things that people did to prepare for the Birmingham
demonstrations?

3. Why did Martin Luther King, Jr. go to jail in Birmingham?

4. Some people told MLK that the demonstrations were ill-timed and should be
delayed. What was his response (in the letter he wrote from jail).

5. Why was the decision made to have kids get involved in the demonstrations?

6. Why were school busses needed?

7. What were the two major ways Bull Connor tried to stop the student
demonstrators in and around Kelly Ingram Park?

8. How did the media make the Birmingham demonstrations so especially powerful?

9. What was Governor George Wallace’s opinion of what the rest of the world might
think about Alabama?

10. Why, at one point, did James Bevel try to stop the demonstrations? What does
this say about the goals of the people in the demonstrations?

11. In the end, how many arrests were made?

12. What notorious group held a nighttime meeting after the Birmingham business
owners decided to stop segregating the city? What happened soon after?
PART II

13. What kinds of people came to the March on Washington?

14. How many cheese sandwiches were made for the marchers?

15. What was James Abernathy’s fondest memory of that day?

16. Just a few weeks after the march, what happened at the 16th Avenue Baptist
Church back in Birmingham?

17. Do you think the Birmingham demonstrations were successful? Do you think the
price that was paid was worth it?

Birmingham Alabama Segregation Laws Poster

Read the primary source document describing the actual segregation laws in the city of
Birmingham, Alabama. Then get together with a friend and create a visual poster
showing these laws.

_____ Pick at least five segregation laws.

_____ Divide up your poster into sections, one for each law.

_____ Create a picture, illustration, or visual icon for the meaning of each law and what
people are supposed to do to follow it.

_____ Make sure the poster has a clear title, and that each section has clear text
describing the law it illustrates (or write out the law itself, word for word).

_____ Make sure your name is somewhere on the front of the poster.

Lesson 7 – Freedom Summer

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students learn about the efforts of Americans to bring voting rights and
other increased political participation to Mississippi.
Students learn about the especially strong racial hatred found in
Mississippi and the reasons why social activism there was so dangerous.
Materials: ~ Readings and reading guides from Freedom’s Children, by Ellen Levine,
to be completed in Language Arts class.
~ Video segments from Eyes on the Prize:“Mississippi: Is This America?”
- The integration of Ole’ Miss & James Meredith
- SNCC Freedom Summer
- Schwerner, Goodman, & Chaney murders
~ Video and digital footage from Philadelphia, MS and Neshoba County.
Court House
~ Short essay question sheet

Procedure: The primary source readings about kid’s experiences during Freedom
Summer are done in Language Arts class for this lesson.

There is no video viewing guide for this lesson. Rather, students watch
the Eyes on the Prize film in its entirety to absorb its full impact. After the film, there is a
short essay response.

The teacher may choose when to use the original footage from
Philadelphia, MS. It can be used either as an introduction to the lesson, or in support.

Assessment: The essay can be scored using a rubric based on the VT standards, based
on the specific criteria for the grade you teach.

Freedom Summer – Short Response Essay

Pick any ONE of the following questions and answer in a full but short essay. Be sure to
have a strong, clear introduction and conclusion, supportive body paragraphs, clear
transition sentences, and a title. Remember----just pick ONE!

1. Imagine you are a white segregationist person living in Mississippi during

Freedom Summer. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining
why the Freedom Summer workers are invading your home state, causing trouble,
and should be kicked out. Explain at least two reasons why the Freedom Summer
workers should leave Mississippi. Remember, always give good evidence and
supporting details for your opinions.

2. Write a eulogy (a speech given at a funeral for the person who died) for the three
Freedom Summer workers who were murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Remember their names: James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael
Schwerner. A good eulogy remembers the meaning of their lives and their deaths,
and tries to help people learn how they can be better people by looking to the
example set by those who died.
 3. Imagine that you are a black farmer in Mississippi during the time of Freedom
Summer. You want to participate, but since you live where you do, you know it
could be dangerous. Write a short letter to other blacks in Mississippi explaining
how you think blacks should respond to the white kids coming down to get you to
register to vote and to participate in the social protests, marches, and movements.

Lesson 8 – The Selma Voting Rights March

VT Standards:

Objectives: Students will understand the goal of the Selma Voting Rights march, as
well as the sequence of events during the weeks of the demonstrations.

Materials: ~ Readings and reading guides from Freedom’s Children, by Ellen Levine,
to be completed in Language Arts class.
~ Video segments from Eyes on the Prize: “Bridge to Freedom”
~ Video and digital footage from the trip
~ “Our God Is Marching On!, “ by Martin Luther King, Jr., in Eyes on the
Prize Civil Rights Reader, pg. 224-227. Edited by Clayborn Carson, et al.
~ “Our God Is Marching On!” reflection question

Procedure: Introduce the events which occurred at Selma, AL, by using the digital and
video footage from the trip. Then show the film clip from Eyes on the Prize.
The primary source memoirs for this lesson are completed in Language
Arts class.
Before the marches, focus on the demonstrations at the Dallas County
Court House and highlight the reaction from Jim Clark towards the crowds.
As the film plays, make sure students understand the three different times
marchers attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
After students view the film and complete the readings in Language Arts,
hand out copies of “Our God Is Marching On!,” by MLK, Jr. Have students read it aloud
in small groups or taking turns in the full class. Perhaps bring up digital shots of the
Alabama State House to set the scene. After students read the speech, have them answer
the short writing response reflection question.

Assessment: The reflection question can be collected and scored using a rubric based
on the state standards for your grade level.

“Our God Is Marching On!” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Read the speech delivered by Dr. King at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery
march. Then answer the question below.
When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered this speech in 1965, he had been involved in
helping to lead the Civil Rights Movement for ten years (remember, it was 1955 when he
came to Montgomery AL and was chosen to lead the bus boycott!) He and his fellow
demonstrators had been through all kinds of obstacles and seen all types of hardships and
triumphs.

Do you think this speech is a good summary of the ten years of the civil rights work done
by Martin Luther King, Jr., and those who worked with him? If so, why or why not?
Give at least 3 reasons why this speech is or is not a good summary of the things Dr. King
and his followers had been doing for the previous 10 years. Give specific details to
support your opinion.

This response should be at least 5 paragraphs, with a strong introduction and conclusion,
at least three body paragraphs, good hooks, clear transition sentences, and a title.