Facing History and Ourselves
After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry
History doesn't always reflect all sides. Academics discover how the remembered history of the Civil War differs for White and African Americans. The instructional activity explores how Civil War monuments and celebrations have racist...
Teaching Tolerance
Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System
Explore the impact of the war on drugs in a thought-provoking lesson plan for high school academics. Young historians delve into the world of the criminal justice system and the racial disparity that occurs in the US. The resource...
Curated OER
Marching For Freedom
Students appreciate the sacrifices that people from across the country made to ensure that all citizens could exercise their constitutional right to vote. They access excellent websites and documents imbedded in this plan to guide their...
Curated OER
Segregation
Students consider the implications of prejudice. In this segregation lesson, students experience a simulation that has school staff favoring students with blue eyes. Students discuss the simulation experience, watch "The Eye of the...
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King's Dream Revisited
Students investigate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They complete a Webquest, listen to an excerpt from a speech, take an online quiz, answer discussion questions, and read newspaper articles about current...
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The Jim Crow Era
Students examine how African-Americans were affected by the Great Depression. In this African-American history lesson, students conduct independent research on the social conditions of the time period using the suggested resources....
Alabama Department of Archives and History
"Scottsboro Boys": A Trial Which Defined an Age
Here's a must-have resource. Whether your focus is racism, the Great Depression, the "Scottsboro Boys" trial, or part of a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird, the information contained in the seven-page packet will save hours of research...
Curated OER
Role of Citizens in Montgomery Bus Boycott
Students consider the role of average Americans in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In this Civil Rights instructional activity, students listen to a lecture that outlines the details of the boycott. Students conduct further research about...
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Nonviolent Protest Around the World
Twelfth graders complete research that exposes them to examples of nonviolent protest throughout the modern world. In this nonviolent protest research lesson, 12th graders discover information about signification nonviolent movements...
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Rosa Parks Dies
Students read a story called Civil Rights Leader Rosa Parks Diesand answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events Rosa Parks lesson plan, students respond to literature by answering questions, sharing...
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Inventors & Trailblazers
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
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United States Colored Troops
Students explore the role that African American soldiers had in the Civil War and the impact they had on the US Civil Rights movement after the war. They complete a timeline, read an excerpt and analyze a primary image.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify forms of...
Curated OER
The Past Half Century: Achieving Equality
Students analyze reactions to the Brown vs. Education decision of 1954. In this segregation instructional activity, student look at the actions that were taken in the education world as a result of the Brown decision. They watch a CD,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Revolution '67, Lesson 1: Protest: Why and How
To some people, protesting is as American as apple pie, but the factors that lead to protests can be as confusing to veteran activists as to today's youth. Revolution '67 explores the riots in Newark, New Jersey as a case study. Using...
PBS
African American History: Climbing the Wall
Imagine the challenge of trying to trace your family genealogy if no records were kept of births and deaths. Where would you look for information? What types of documents could provide you with the information you seek? History...
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
Robert Coles’ The Story of Ruby Bridges forms the basis of this powerful cross-curricular study of civic education and civic responsibility. Class members consider how the book presents authority, responsibility, justice, and privacy.....
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Famous African-Americans for Animals
They research influential African-Americans who work to help animals. They recognize the contributions African-Americans have made to society and to the animal rights movement.
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Examining the African American Family through the Eyes of Women Authors
Students read stories by women authors on the characteristics of the African-American family. Using the internet, they research the history of issues that have affected African-American families from the Civil War to the Civil Rights...
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The Road to the American Revolution
Students consider the case for forming a new, independent nation. In this American Revolution lesson, students examine the people, places, and events that led to the outbreak of war in the colonies. Students compare colonial protests to...
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Sustained Resistance
Eleventh graders research events that led up to the Civil Rights movement using primary source documents that show attitudes about lynching.
Curated OER
Return South Migration Lesson Plan
Learners study the reasons so many immigrants returned to the South following the Civil Rights Movement. They examine how the former slaves influenced the cultural life in the Northern cities.
Curated OER
JFK, LBJ, and the Fight for Equal Opportunity in the 1960s
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...