CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Richard Wright, a black boy living in the Jim Crow South, travels north in hopes of escaping the violence and prejudice that rules his childhood. Selected (8) reading passages (grades7-12) to pair with "Black Boy" by Richard Wright....
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Fourteenth Amendment Part Ii
In this video segment from The Supreme Court, learn about the 1883 Supreme Court decision that marked the end of federal protections for individuals in states and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation.
Other
New York Public Library: Africana Age: The Civil Rights Movement
This is an extensive review of the Civil Rights movement from the 1940s to the 1960s. Read about the ways African Americans protested discrimination in employment and education over several years. Be sure to click on the images to find...
Curated OER
History Matters: Separate but Equal: The Plessy v. Ferguson Case
Read the judgment of Supreme Court justice, Henry Billings Brown, who wrote for the majority in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that codified the idea of "separate but equal" in the American justice system until it was overturned by Brown...
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Plessy v Ferguson
Read the Supreme Court opinion that solidified the concept of separate, but equal in American law. The dissenting opinion written by Justice John Harlan is also included.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", by Mildred D. Taylor is a riveting, Newbery Award winning novel, about a family living in the 1930s Jim Crow South. Make a smart choice by reading your favorite novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Texas Joins the Battle: African American Women, 1890s
See photos that are representative of the lives of African-American women at the turn of the century and read about the discrimination black women and men faced: Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, and the "white primary" rule. A brief...
Other
Socialist Worker: Causes of the 1919 Race Riots
Read about the racism in unions throughout the United States after World War I, culminating in race riots in 1919, especially in Chicago.
Other
Amistad Digital Resource: The Great Migration
Read about the reasons for the Great Migration of African Americans from the Deep Sourth to northern cities in the first few decades of the 20th century. After the Great Depression, the migration numbers increased again. Find out what...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Emmett Till
Read about the tragic case of Emmett Till, an African American teenager who was viciously murdered in 1955. The case forced the public to see the brutality of the racism that was rampant in the South and it fueled the civil rights movement.
CommonLit
Common Lit: The Supreme Court's Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education
A learning module that begins with "The Supreme Court's Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education" by U. S. Supreme Court, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Plessy vs. Ferguson" by Jessica Mc Birney
A learning module that begins with "Plessy vs. Ferguson" by Jessica McBirney accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Digital History
Digital History: Plessy v. Ferguson
A very thorough explanation of the famous Supreme Court decision about Plessy v. Ferguson. It upheld the idea of "separate but equal," which was in effect until Brown v Board of Education in 1954. See who opposed the decision, and read...
Country Studies US
Country Studies: The End of Reconstruction
The end of Reconstruction brought about the end of military occupation in the South, but ushered in discriminatory practices against the newly freed black population. Read about why that happened and the future consequences.
Digital History
Digital History: Equality Postponed [Pdf]
Read the background of the controversial Supreme Court decision in the Plessy v Ferguson case. Follow the arguments for and against "separate but equal." [pdf]
Library of Congress
Loc: Protection of the American Citizen
Around 1877, there was a rise in segregation and obstacles were imposed to keep African Americans from voting. Bishop B.W. Arnett spoke out against these laws in a pamphlet entitled "The Black Laws". Read the entire pamphlet or select...
Oklahoma State University
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture: All Black Towns
Read about the all-black towns that were settled in Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory in the mid-19th century.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: w.e.b. Du Bois
Read a brief biography of W.E.B. DuBois, who was an early civil rights activist and supporter of equal opportunity and treatment for African-Americans. See how he acted on his beliefs. Included is a brief quiz about the Progressive Era.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Read about the action of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, triggering a massive bus boycott led by Martin Luther King, Jr. The boycott became the impetus for a Supreme Court ruling that...
Academy of American Poets
Poets.org: Langston Hughes
This site provides a biography of Langston Hughes, followed by several of his poems (some complete with audio clips) and a bibliography of his more influential works.
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Langston Hughes
This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Aftermath: Postcards, African Americans Picking Cotton
Though given the right to vote, African-American men and women faced discrimination and racist practices that often prevented them from voting in the early 20th century. Read about some of these practices, and how, for example, the Texas...