The Civil Rights Movement: DBQ and Book Backdrop
This Civil Rights Movement Book Backdrop and DBQ Lesson is intended for High School (11th grade) United States History or High
School (12th grade) United States Government. In this lesson, students will explore various strategies used to promote Civil Rights
for African American during the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. After reading the children’s literature piece, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford, students will examine a series of documents related to direct action, non-violent protest, Civil Rights litigation, and Civil Rights legislation. Those documents will be used to write an essay.
School (12th grade) United States Government. In this lesson, students will explore various strategies used to promote Civil Rights
for African American during the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. After reading the children’s literature piece, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford, students will examine a series of documents related to direct action, non-violent protest, Civil Rights litigation, and Civil Rights legislation. Those documents will be used to write an essay.
Question: Based on the documents provided and your knowledge of the 1950s and 1960s, how effective were each of these methods for bringing about Civil Rights and ending segregation for African Americans in the United States?
Lesson Standards:
NGSSS United States History Standards:
SS.912.A.1 Use research and inquiry skills to analyze American history using primary and secondary sources.
SS.912.A.5.10 Analyze support for and resistance to civil rights for women, African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities.
SS.912.A.7.5 Compare nonviolent and violent approaches utilized by groups (African Americans, women, Native Americans, Hispanics) to achieve civil rights.
SS.912.A.7.6 Assess key figures and organizations in shaping the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement.
SS.912.A.7.7 Assess the building of coalitions between African Americans, whites, and other groups in achieving
integration and equal rights.
SS.912.A.7.8 Analyze significant Supreme Court decisions relating to integration, busing, affirmative action, the rights of the accused, and reproductive rights.
NGSSS United States Government Standards:
SS.912.C.2.9 Identify the expansion of civil rights and liberties by examining the principles contained in primary documents.
SS.912.C.3.10 Evaluate the significance and outcomes of landmark Supreme Court cases.
CCSS for Literacy and Writing in the Social Studies:
LACC.1112.RH.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
LACC.1112.RH.1.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
LACC.1112.RH.3.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
LACC.1112.RH.3.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
LACC.1112.WHST.1.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
LACC.1112.WHST.2.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
LACC.1112.WHST.3.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
NGSSS United States History Standards:
SS.912.A.1 Use research and inquiry skills to analyze American history using primary and secondary sources.
SS.912.A.5.10 Analyze support for and resistance to civil rights for women, African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities.
SS.912.A.7.5 Compare nonviolent and violent approaches utilized by groups (African Americans, women, Native Americans, Hispanics) to achieve civil rights.
SS.912.A.7.6 Assess key figures and organizations in shaping the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement.
SS.912.A.7.7 Assess the building of coalitions between African Americans, whites, and other groups in achieving
integration and equal rights.
SS.912.A.7.8 Analyze significant Supreme Court decisions relating to integration, busing, affirmative action, the rights of the accused, and reproductive rights.
NGSSS United States Government Standards:
SS.912.C.2.9 Identify the expansion of civil rights and liberties by examining the principles contained in primary documents.
SS.912.C.3.10 Evaluate the significance and outcomes of landmark Supreme Court cases.
CCSS for Literacy and Writing in the Social Studies:
LACC.1112.RH.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
LACC.1112.RH.1.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
LACC.1112.RH.3.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
LACC.1112.RH.3.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
LACC.1112.WHST.1.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
LACC.1112.WHST.2.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
LACC.1112.WHST.3.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Lesson Outline:
1. Read Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford.
2. While reading, have students think about and write down what images from the book they would like to investigate in more depth related to the Greensboro sit-ins or the Civil Rights movement in general.
3. In pairs, have students share what documents they would like to see to support ideas from the story. Discuss those documents as a class.
4. If the students need additional background on the Civil Rights Movement, students could be assigned to read the background essay on strategies used during the Civil Rights movement located at http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/civil-rights-movement-overview. As they read, students should mark the text to note various strategies used during the movement. After marking the text, students will complete the three column
note-taking guide. If the students have already studied the movement, as a class or in small groups, have students complete the note-taking guide of different Civil Rights movement strategies.
5. Explain to students that they will be looking at a series of documents related to the Civil Rights movement. These documents were selected to highlight three strategies used by activists during the Civil Rights movement. Documents A and B provide background on segregation in the first half of the 20th century. Documents C and D relate directly to the literature piece providing photographs of sit-ins – one form of direct action, non-violent protest. Documents G, H, I and N all also highlight this strategy for the movement. They include images from the Freedom Rides, an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail, and a newspaper article on the bus boycotts. Documents E and F focus on the strategy of litigation. These documents both relate to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision. Lastly, Documents J, K, L, and M all center around enacting change through legislation. The first three of those documents are images and text from the Civil Rights Act and Document M is a newspaper article about the Voting Rights Act. Many more documents could be incorporated into this lesson, however, this is a selection to help students answer the central question relating to strategies of the movement. There are some extension documents provided for the teacher to include the Black Power and the separatist movement with students as another strategy. They are at the end of the lesson.
6. As a class, examine Document A together. Using the Primary Source Analysis Tool from the Library of Congress(http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html), have students note observations, reflections and questions individually, with table groups, then as a whole class.
7. Provide students time to examine the rest of the documents. As they examine the documents, they should continue to refer to the LOC
Analysis form and respond to the scaffolding questions for each document. Students can work individually or in small groups for this part of the activity.
8. As students read and answer questions about each document, they should write in their three column note-taking guide, which documents could be used to support each strategy/method.
9. After examining all documents, students will complete an essay about the Civil Rights movement.
10. In the book, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins, the author focuses on one form of direct action, non-violent protest used during the 1950s and 1960s to achieve equal rights for African Americans. Civil disobedience (direct action, non-violent protest), litigation, and legislation
were all methods used during the Civil Rights movement to enact change. Based on the documents provided and your knowledge of the 1950s and 1960s, how effective were each of these methods for bringing about Civil Rights for African Americans and ending segregation in the United States? In your essay, be sure to include support for your argument as to which of these methods was the most effective.
1. Read Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford.
2. While reading, have students think about and write down what images from the book they would like to investigate in more depth related to the Greensboro sit-ins or the Civil Rights movement in general.
3. In pairs, have students share what documents they would like to see to support ideas from the story. Discuss those documents as a class.
4. If the students need additional background on the Civil Rights Movement, students could be assigned to read the background essay on strategies used during the Civil Rights movement located at http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/civil-rights-movement-overview. As they read, students should mark the text to note various strategies used during the movement. After marking the text, students will complete the three column
note-taking guide. If the students have already studied the movement, as a class or in small groups, have students complete the note-taking guide of different Civil Rights movement strategies.
5. Explain to students that they will be looking at a series of documents related to the Civil Rights movement. These documents were selected to highlight three strategies used by activists during the Civil Rights movement. Documents A and B provide background on segregation in the first half of the 20th century. Documents C and D relate directly to the literature piece providing photographs of sit-ins – one form of direct action, non-violent protest. Documents G, H, I and N all also highlight this strategy for the movement. They include images from the Freedom Rides, an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail, and a newspaper article on the bus boycotts. Documents E and F focus on the strategy of litigation. These documents both relate to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision. Lastly, Documents J, K, L, and M all center around enacting change through legislation. The first three of those documents are images and text from the Civil Rights Act and Document M is a newspaper article about the Voting Rights Act. Many more documents could be incorporated into this lesson, however, this is a selection to help students answer the central question relating to strategies of the movement. There are some extension documents provided for the teacher to include the Black Power and the separatist movement with students as another strategy. They are at the end of the lesson.
6. As a class, examine Document A together. Using the Primary Source Analysis Tool from the Library of Congress(http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html), have students note observations, reflections and questions individually, with table groups, then as a whole class.
7. Provide students time to examine the rest of the documents. As they examine the documents, they should continue to refer to the LOC
Analysis form and respond to the scaffolding questions for each document. Students can work individually or in small groups for this part of the activity.
8. As students read and answer questions about each document, they should write in their three column note-taking guide, which documents could be used to support each strategy/method.
9. After examining all documents, students will complete an essay about the Civil Rights movement.
10. In the book, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins, the author focuses on one form of direct action, non-violent protest used during the 1950s and 1960s to achieve equal rights for African Americans. Civil disobedience (direct action, non-violent protest), litigation, and legislation
were all methods used during the Civil Rights movement to enact change. Based on the documents provided and your knowledge of the 1950s and 1960s, how effective were each of these methods for bringing about Civil Rights for African Americans and ending segregation in the United States? In your essay, be sure to include support for your argument as to which of these methods was the most effective.
Links to the Documents
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Questions for the DocumentsDocument A and B
1. What do you observe about these two locations? 2. Why were there separate facilities labeled “colored” or white? 3. Are the facilities equal for all people? How do you know this? Document C and D 1. What type of Civil Rights protest is demonstrated in Documents C and D? 2. What characteristics do the protests have in common? Cite specific evidence from the images. 3. Based on what observations from the photographs, did this method advance the Civil Rights movement? Why? Cite specific evidence from the images. Document E 1. What is the conclusion of the court in the Brown case? 2. Why is public school segregation unconstitutional according to Chief Justice Warren? 3. What can you conclude about the parts of the document that are underlined? 4. What support will this decision provide for the Civil Rights movement? Document F 1.To what event does this letter refer? 2. What were conditions like in the “desegregated” school in Little Rock Arkansas? 3. Based on this letter, how effective was the Brown v. Board decision in advancing Civil Rights for African Americans? Document G and H 1. What do you observe about the riders on the Washington Freedom Riders committee? 2. In what parts of the country were the Freedom Rides focused? 3. Based on the images, what was the goal of the Freedom Riders? 4. Looking at the map, what were some of the results of the Freedom Rides? What might the riders have encountered? How do you know? Document I 1. What does King list as the steps in a nonviolent campaign? 2. Why does King advocate direct action as the best method of change? 3. What does King mean when he says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed”? How does his participation in the Civil Rights movement reflect this statement? Document J, K and L 1. According to the transcript in Document J, what was the goal of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? 2. What was the significance of the people present in Documents K and L? 3. How did this piece of legislation further the Civil Rights movement? Document M 1. What historical event is being written about in this paper? 2. What do you observe about the images and poll question in this article? 3. What does President Johnson say the new law does for African Americans? Document N 1. What article in this newspaper relates to the Civil Rights movement? 2. What was the purpose of the meeting taking place? 3. Based on the newspaper article, how effective was this strategy? |
Extension Activity:
To extend this activity for advanced learners or add another strategy to the essay, Documents O, P, and Q could be used along with other documents located by the teacher related to the Black Power movement. (These documents will need to be located on sites other than the Library of Congress website as most of their Black Power images are only available in larger sizes at the Library of Congress.) The investigation question could be modified with these additional documents. Direct, non-violent action, litigation, legislation, and uprising were all forms of protest used during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Based on the documents provided, what method was the most effective for enacting change to advance Civil Rights for African Americans in the United States?
Document O:
Roy Wilkins to NAACP supporters concerning the NAACP’s position on “Black Power,” October 17, 1966
Visit this website to view the letter: http://lcweb4.loc.gov/master/ipo/qcdata/qcdata7/naacp/tiffs/na0127.tif
1. What does the NAACP define as its method concerning the Civil Rights movement?
2. Why does the NAACP oppose the Black Power movement?
3. Why did Roy Wilkins feel it was necessary to present this letter at the NAACP convention?
Document P and Q:
1. How does SNCC define nonviolence in its statement of purpose?
2. Why does SNCC advocate for this nonviolent approach?
3. How does this image of the SNCC leaders support the statement of purpose of the organization?
To extend this activity for advanced learners or add another strategy to the essay, Documents O, P, and Q could be used along with other documents located by the teacher related to the Black Power movement. (These documents will need to be located on sites other than the Library of Congress website as most of their Black Power images are only available in larger sizes at the Library of Congress.) The investigation question could be modified with these additional documents. Direct, non-violent action, litigation, legislation, and uprising were all forms of protest used during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Based on the documents provided, what method was the most effective for enacting change to advance Civil Rights for African Americans in the United States?
Document O:
Roy Wilkins to NAACP supporters concerning the NAACP’s position on “Black Power,” October 17, 1966
Visit this website to view the letter: http://lcweb4.loc.gov/master/ipo/qcdata/qcdata7/naacp/tiffs/na0127.tif
1. What does the NAACP define as its method concerning the Civil Rights movement?
2. Why does the NAACP oppose the Black Power movement?
3. Why did Roy Wilkins feel it was necessary to present this letter at the NAACP convention?
Document P and Q:
1. How does SNCC define nonviolence in its statement of purpose?
2. Why does SNCC advocate for this nonviolent approach?
3. How does this image of the SNCC leaders support the statement of purpose of the organization?