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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

JFK, LBJ, and the Fight for Equal Opportunity in the 1960s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the presidencies and John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. In this American history instructional activity, students specifically analyze the civil rights support of the 2 presidents and their support of civil rights...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Laws of Civil Rights

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this segregation lesson, students explore the rights that were guaranteed by the legislation as well as attempts by southerners to stop African Americans from voting. Students...
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: The Civil Rights Era: A Civil Rights Act of 1964 Pamphlet

For Students 9th - 10th
From the archives of the Library of Congress read the pamphlet that explained the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in plain language. Find out all the different issues the law addressed and what one could do if the law wasn't being followed. A...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Civil Rights Special Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
Multimedia collection of video, primary text documents and audio on Civil Rights, especially Brown vs. Board of Education.
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Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: Civil Rights Act (1964)

For Students 9th - 10th
Find an image of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. Read a brief description of how this life-changing legislation came to be.
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Website
Other

Colorado College: A Brief History of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
A very good explanation of the problems and political machinations that happened behind the scenes in both the House of Representatives and Senate as the wording of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was developed. See how the legislation was...
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Primary
Other

Us Eeoc: Title Vii of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided important protection for fairness in employment by establishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Read the text of that legislation here, and see how it protects workers on...
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Lesson Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: Civil Rights: Demanding Equality

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This unit embraces those individuals who have brought change to the United States in both social and political equality through a Video on Demand, activities, and other enlightening resources.
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Website
Northern Illinois University

Illinois Periodicals Online: Everett Dirksen and the 1964 Civil Rights Act

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate as a way to control legislation.In the discussion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the longest filibuster in history was launched as a way to keep the legislation from coming to a...
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Primary
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Resources: Robert Kennedy on Civil Rights

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] After reading the background information about Attorney General Robert Kennedy's report on civil rights enforcement activities of the Department of Justice in 1962, read the full transcript of the...
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Unit Plan
Digital History

Digital History: The Tumultous 1960's

For Students 9th - 10th
The decade of the 1960s was a time of protest about the Vietnam War and civil rights, and progressive legislation addressing many problems. Find primary source material, charts, and statistics that cover these topics. Included are...
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Website
Social Studies Help Center

Social Studies Help Center: The Kennedy Administration

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief overview of the Kennedy Administration mentions the achievements of the administration, especially in domestic affairs, and the setbacks, especially in foreign policy.
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Website
Other

Finding Dulcina: Strom Thurmond Ends Longest Filibuster in Senate History

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Senator Strom Thurmond's epic filibuster in an attempt to forestall the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. There is a brief biography of Thurmond and his political life, as well as information about the use of the...
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Website
Other

Ahc: Civil Rights Movement: The Surge Forward: 1954 1960

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed discussion of the civil rights movement between 1954-1960 including summaries of events such as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956, school desegregation, Sarah Keys v....
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Website
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: The Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the persisitence of President Lyndon B. Johnson in finally enacting the momentous civil rights legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Find out about his adversaries and allies in getting this legislation passed.
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Interactive
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Voting Then, Voting Now

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explores the voting experiences for African Americans beginning in the Jim Crow era. It shares literacy tests African Americans had to take and other challenges they were given for the right to vote. This denial of the right to...
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Website
Stanford University

Mlk and the Global Freedom Struggle: Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about President John F. Kennedy's role in attempting to outlaw segregation, and, after Kennedy's assassination, President Johnson's role in making that happen with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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Website
US House of Representatives

History, Art, and Archives: The Civil Rights Act of 1957

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the role of President Eisenhower in the impetus for the support of civil rights in 1957.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: American Women: Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not focused just on racial civil rights, but also gender equity. This site from the Library of Congress deals with how women could use the legislation in lawsuits charging discrimination.
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Article
Cornell University

Cornell University: Law School: Civil Rights and Discrimination

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Cornell University School of Law provides an overview of civil rights legislation, including an explanation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There are links to other sites on the subject of civil rights in general.