The Civil Rights MovementComplete Unit Guide Packet

OverviewThe Civil Rights Movement refers to the decades-long struggle with the goal of securing constitutional and legal rights for African Americans and other marginalized groups that other Americans already enjoyed. With roots that dated back to the Reconstruction era during the late 19th century, the movement achieved its largest legislative gains in the mid-1960s, after years of direct actions and grassroots protests that were organized from the mid-1950s until 1968. Groups pushed for ending racial segregation, disenfranchisement, and discrimination in the United States through nonviolent campaigns.

Martin Luther King Jr. won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in non-violent civil disobedience and was a leader of the movement. However, many led in the push for change, including Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, A. Philip Randolph, Stokely Carmichael, and others.

Some worked with Congress to achieve the passage of several significant pieces of legislation that overturned discriminatory practices and ensured the federal government would enforce the law equally. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment practices and prohibited racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and in public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored and protected voting rights for minorities by authorizing federal oversight of registration and elections in areas with historic under-representation of minorities as voters. Finally, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

These victories inspired Latino and American Indian activists to push for change and equality as well. Most recently, Americans with disabilities won equal protection as well with the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

Essential Questionsa) What was the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision?

b) How did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) push for change?

c) What impact did the 1963 March on Washington have on America?

d) How did the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) effect America?

e) What is the responsibility of the government to secure freedom, equality, and democracy?

f) What roles and responsibilities do citizens have to take on in order to affect change?

g) What is the most effective method for enacting social change?

h) What changes occurred in American culture during the 1960’s?

VocabularyDirections: Write the definition for each word in your own words.

Discrimination

Segregation

Desegregation

Civil Disobedience

NAACP

Brown v Board of Education

Montgomery Bus Boycott

SNCC

Freedom Riders

March on Washington

The Civil Rights Act

The Voting Rights Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act

1

GeographyDirections: First use the numbers on the map to the right to identify the major cities where events from the Civil Rights Movement took place.

Then, match the descriptions of the events in the last column to the correct cities by moving each to the correct space in the 3rd column.

Selma, AL

Location of the bus 1955 boycott which resulted in a ruling that segregated buses were unconstitutional.

Washington, D.C.

Site of the Birmingham campaign to end racial segregation and the 1963 church bombing that killed four young girls.

Jackson, MS

City where a series of marches were to begin to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their right to vote.

Greensboro, NC

Location of the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968 while in the city to support striking African American sanitation workers.

Little Rock, AR

Setting of Ole Miss where James Meredith became the first African American student at the school after violent protests and riots.

Birmingham, AL

Site of Little Rock Central High School, where 9 African American students were enrolled after a crisis in 1957.

Montgomery, AL

Location of non-violent sit-ins which led to the Woolworth department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation.

Topeka, KS

Location of the March on Washington, when 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and heard Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

Memphis, TN

City where Linda Brown’s case against the school system led to the landmark Supreme Court ruling that stated racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.

2

People to KnowDirections: Use the word bank below to identify the appropriate category for each person. For each person, identify the significant contributions that person made in history.

Malcolm XMartin Luther King, Jr. Robert F. Kennedy

Lyndon JohnsonCesar ChavezGloria Steinem

Thurgood MarshallDolores HuertaJohn F. Kennedy

Political Leaders

Name:

Title:

Contributions:

Name:

Title:

Contributions:

Name:

Title:

Contributions:

Civil Rights

Leaders

Name:

Contributions:

Name:

Contributions:

Name:

Contributions:

Name:

Contributions:

Name:

Contributions:

Name:

Contributions:

Timeline of the Civil Rights MovementDirections: Place the following events of the Civil Rights Movement on the timeline next to the year that they occurred. Some years may have more than one event while some will not have any.

3

Brown v. Board of Education

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Little Rock Nine Enroll

Greensboro Sit-ins

The Freedom Rider Campaign

The March on Washington

Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing

Civil Rights Act

Selma to Montgomery Marches

Voting Rights Act

Loving v. Virginia Decision

Martin Luther King Assassination

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

Which year do you feel is the peak of the Civil Rights Movement and why?

What event surprised you the most about the timeline? Why?

Key Concepts4

Directions: For the Civil Rights cause and effect chart, describe the missing aspect for each. For the primary sources, answer each of the questions in complete sentences.

Cause EffectMontgomery, Alabama’s city’s bus system was desegregated, and Martin Luther King Jr. was thrust into the national spotlight.

Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the court-ordered integration of Central High and protestors surrounded the school.

In 1961, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) wanted to test the Boynton v. Virginia ruling which ordered integration of interstate busing.

Dramatically increased the number of registered African American voters in the American South in a very short period of time.

“I want to speak to you about the serious situation that has arisen in Little Rock. At a time when we face grave situations abroad because of the hatred that Communism bears toward a system of government based on human rights, it would be difficult to exaggerate the harm that is being done to the prestige and influence, and indeed to the safety, of our nation and the world.

Our enemies are gloating over this incident and using it everywhere to misrepresent our whole nation. We are portrayed as a violator of those standards of conduct which the peoples of the world united to proclaim in the Charter of the United Nations.

- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957

What incident is President Eisenhower referring to?

According to Eisenhower, how is this harming America?

"The Student Leadership Conference made it crystal clear that current sit-ins and other demonstrations are concerned with something much bigger than a hamburger or even a giant-sized Coke. Whatever may be the difference in approach to their goal, the Negro and white students, North and South, are seeking to rid America of the scourge of racial segregation and discrimination — not only at lunch counters, but in every aspect of life."

- Ella Baker, 1960

Why were lunch counter sit-ins and demonstrations held?

What does Ella Baker mean when she says they were “bigger than a hamburger”?

“This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came

5

Who are the 10% of the population that Kennedy refers to?

What was Kennedy speaking in support of?

here had an equal chance to develop their talents. We cannot say to 10% of the population that you can’t have that right; that your children cannot have the chance to develop whatever talents they have; that the only way that they are going to get their rights is to go in the street and demonstrate. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than

that.”

-- John F. Kennedy, 1963

Percentage of Voter Turnout in ElectionsBased on the chart, what impact did the Voting Rights Act have?

What also happened in 2004 that might have increased Black voter turnout?

Additional Civil Rights Movement GoalsMatch the terms from the 3rd column to the description by typing each in the first column.

As a labor leader, he organized a grape boycott in support of farm workers. ● Alcatraz

● Equal Rights Amendment

● Cesar Chavez

● American Indian Movement (AIM)

● Gloria Steinem

● Justin Dart Jr.

Leading feminist political activist if the 1960s-70s.

This was occupied by the Indians of All Tribes as a protest in 1969.

Founded in 1968 to advocate for indigenous American interests.

Activist and advocate for people with disabilities who helped pass the ADA

Proposed to end legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment.

6

Visual LiteracyDirections: Use the included images to answer each of the questions.

A high school junior in Tennessee carries sign outside the school in 1956, protesting racial integration of the school.

How much do you blame the culture, peers, parents, or the student for showing narrow-minded views like this? Explain

What event is this image from?

How do you think Elizabeth Eckford (student in front) felt as the crowd yelled at her?

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X met only once, on March 26, 1964, when the two were on Capitol Hill for a Senate debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Briefly compare the views and methods used by both men.

7

John Lewis and other marchers are confronted by police as they begin to march from Selma to Montgomery.

What do you think happened next? How did each side react?

During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City in 1968, athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem.

What was this salute known as and what was that movement about?

Why was this salute controversial at the time?

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.

What are some example of accommodations you have seen due to the ADA?

8