Curated OER
Picturing Freedom: Selma-to-Montgomery March, 1965
Learners analyze primary sources to investigate the Civil Rights Movement. In this Civil Rights lesson, students explore the passage of Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how photojournalism impacted the passage of the legislation. Learners...
Curated OER
Constitution Day: The 1965 Alabama Literacy Test
Tenth graders examine the United States Constitution. For this American Government lesson, 10th graders read excerpts from President Johnson's speech to Congress and parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. ...
Curated OER
History Matters: "And We Shall Overcome": Johnson's Special Message to Congress
Read President Lyndon B. Johnson's speech before the the Congress in support of the Voting Rights Act. Feel the passion in his address and his desire to further racial equality.
Digital History
Digital History: The Great Society and the Drive for Black Equality
Read about President Lyndon Johnson's vision for the Great Society. See how the programs instituted were focused on lifting the poor from poverty, especially African Americans. Included were laws to increase civil rights and voting...
US National Archives
Our Documents: Voting Rights Act (1965)
Included at this site is the complete text and images of the original document of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This law outlawed the discriminatory voting practices that African Americans had endured.
Other
Fair Vote: X's and O's: A History of the Voting Rights Act and African Americans
Documented essay on the history of black suffrage in American and the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Voting Rights Act of 1965
Explores the Voting Rights Act of 1965 from the perspective of a Congressional leader. Presents an abundant amount of historical information about the origins of the Act as well as the steps needed to get it passed.
NBC
Nbc Learn: Finishing the Dream: 1965: We Shall Overcome
A collection of archival video clips highlighting a peaceful protest in Alabama in 1965 that ended in a confrontation with state troopers known as "Bloody Sunday." This was followed by a four-day march with Martin Luther King, Jr., and a...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Race and Voting in the Segregated South
Article and activity in which students read and analyze the historic challenges faced by African Americans as they sought to gain an unimpeded right to vote in the segregated South followed by activity asking students to evaluate current...
US National Archives
National Archives: To What Extent Was Reconstruction a Revolution? (Part 2)
This is a continuation of part 1 of the lesson plan "To What Extent was Reconstruction a Revolution?". Students will study the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to see if their opinion changes from the previous lesson plan. Included are whole...
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Three Presidencies: Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon
The domestic policies of three Presidents from the 1960s are examined, including Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. The tutorial looks at their political initiatives, what worked and what didn't. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Contesting Futures: America in 1960s: Lyndon Johnson and Great Society
Read about the reforms and legislation undertaken through Lyndon B. Johnson's concept of the Great Society. These included economic and educational reforms, consumer protection, changes to immigration laws, and the Voting Rights Act of...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: The Civil Rights Movement and Voting Rights
Given the voting rights amendments, students will create an annotated time line that illustrates how voting rights have been extended to various groups of people throughout the history of the United States.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: A National Struggle: Congress
This two-page segment of a larger PBS site about Jim Crow discusses the role of Congress over close to 100 years in first entrenching Jim Crow laws in the law of the land, and eventually, through the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and the...
US National Archives
National Archives: Congress Protects the Right to Vote
Students will draw conclusions regarding actions taken by Congress when passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. They will weigh the balance of power between the federal and state governments when protecting the right to vote. Materials...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Voting Rights Act of 1965
This collection uses primary sources to explore the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader
Students will explore how King's deep-seated commitment to nonviolence contributed to the expansion of social justice in the United States, particularly for African Americans.
Curated OER
National Park Service: International Civil Rights Walk of Fame: Lyndon Johnson
Read about President Lyndon Johnson's on how to end poverty in the United States as well as how to protect civil rights.
Digital History
Digital History: The Tumultous 1960's
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...
Digital History
Digital History: Affirmative Action and the Case of Allan Bakke [Pdf]
The history of affirmative action was interwoven with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Read about how the federal government under both President Kennedy and President Nixon attempted to open up jobs to...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: The Civil Rights Movement: 1919 1960s
Article provides an overview of the Civil Rights Movement in America between 1919 and the 1960s with detailed discussion on racial equality, nonviolence and passive resistance, and segregation.
Raleigh Charter High School
Mrs. Newmark's Page: Civil Rights
This interactive activity focuses on the Civil Rights Movement.
Other
The Center for Voting & Democracy: The Voting Rights Act
The Center for Voting and Democracy offers a general overview of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Content focuses on Section 2 and Section 5 of the Act, exploring their importance.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society"
President Lyndon Johnson launched his legislation plans for his "Great Society" soon after he became president. Read about the many pieces of legislation that were passed in just a few years. See what happened to tarnish Johnson's...