Lesson Plans -- Student

• The social realities faced by African Americans under Jim Crow laws.
• Pertinent court cases and other legislation that was the result of, or influenced by, the Civil Rights Movement.
• The various leaders and strategies used to achieve civil rights.
• the successes and failures of the movement.

The object of the [14th] amendment was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from political equality...

We consider the underlying fallacy of the plaintiff's argument to consist in the assumption that the enforced separation of the two races stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority.

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/33.htm

Segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of race, pursuant to state laws permitting or requiring such segregation, denies to Negro children the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment -- even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors of white and Negro schools may be equal

(e) The "separate but equal" doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537, has no place in the field of public education

Source: http://www.nationalcenter.org/brown.html

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."

The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

Source: http://liberationcommunity.stanford.edu/TopicPages/letter_birmingham.html

If violence is wrong in America, voilence is wrong abroad. If it si wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

Source: http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/about/quotes_articles.htm

An Act To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/civilr19.htm

Nearly 1million Black children live in extreme poverty with after-tax income (including food and housing benefits) below half the poverty line. The number of extremely poor Black children is now at its highest level in the 23 years for which such data exist.

Question 8a: What might you conclude about the African population as a whole in light of the data about African American children in extreme poverty?

Question 8b: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation. What problem was not adequately addressed according to the data above?


Grading Rubric
Part A: Documents 1-8

Document 1 Plessy v. Ferguson, the U. S. Supreme Court Case that established the constitutionality of "separate but equal," 1896.

Question 1a: After 1877, as series of laws that enforced racial segregation, called Jim Crow laws, were enacted. What was the legal significance of Plessy v. Ferguson in regards to segregation and the Jim Crow laws?
An answer worth full credit will explain that Plessy v. Ferguson made Jim Crow segregation laws constitutional.

Question 1b: What was the social impact of Plessy v. Ferguson and other Jim Crow laws in the United States?
Student must demonstrate that she/he understands that African Americans and White Americans were separated in nearly all aspects of life.


Document 2 Brown v. Board of Education, U. S. Supreme Court Case, 1954.

Question 2a: In what way did this case challenge the ruling in the Plessy v. Ferguson case?
A complete answer will mention that Brown v. Board of Educationoverturned the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that “separate but equal” was constitutional in the realm of public education.

Question 2b: How did this U. S. Supreme Court ruling affect the Civil Rights Movement?
A comprehensive answer will mention that the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was s tremendous boost to the movement. Because the ruling outlawed the ntion of separate but equal in schools, Civil Rights activists pushed for a more thorough desegregation.


Document 3 Photograph, "A&T Students' 'Sit Down' Demand for Service at Downtown Lunch Counter," The Greensboro Review, February 2, 1960.

Question 3a: Why would these students "sit in" at a "whites only" lunch counter?
A complete answer will explain that the students sat in the “whites only” lunch counter as an act of civil disobedience. The student must also mention that the students were protesting segregation.

Question 3b: How did media attention created by demonstrations, like the Greensboro "sit in" help the Civil Rights Movement?
A thorough answer will explain that media attention helped to raise awareness about the Civil Rights Movement.


Document 4 Photograph, civil rights activists participating in a non-violent, direct action demonstration, attempt to protect themselves as firemen attack them using high-pressure water hoses.

Question 4a: What does this picture tell you about how some authorities reacted to Civil Rights demonstrators?
A complete answer will explain that some authorities used violent tactics to break up non-violent demonstrators.

Question 4b: What can this picture tell you about the risks involved in this type of demonstration? A correct answer must explain that because some authorities used violent tactics to break up demonstrations, demonstrators risked injury, even death.


Document 5 Excerpt, "A Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King, Jr., April 16, 1963.

Question 5a: In his letter, King addresses members of the Civil Rights Movement who do not agree with his "activities." What might this disagreement tell you about the nature of the movement?
A thorough answer will explain that this disagreement reflects the many different voices within the movement. Not all Civil Rights activists believed King’s methods were the best means of ending segregation.

Question 5b: Why would King want to "create a situation...crisis packed"?
A comprehensive answer will explain that King wanted his demonstrations create a situation of crisis so as to generate as much attention as possible. He recognized that if his demonstration created a state of crisis, society would have to listen to the demonstrations’ message.


Document 6 Excerpt from a speech given by Malcolm X, New York City, November 1963.

Question 6a: How is Malcolm X's Civil Rights strategy different from Martin Luther King's?
A complete answer must explain that King’s strategy was based on non-violent civil disobedience. Malcolm X advocated defensive violence.

Question 6b: Malcolm X refers to the Vietnam War in his speech. How does he justify his position in light of the war?
A correct answer must identify Malcolm X’s comparison between the defense of ones country and the defense of one’s people. He reasoned that if the US was justified in defending itself abroad using African American soldiers than African Americans were justified in defending their people through violence at home.


Document 7 Excerpt from the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Question 7a: What was the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A complete answer must explain that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 dismantled the Jim Crow segregation system

Question 7b: What impact did this act have on the lives of African Americans?
A thorough answer must mention that African Americans were allowed legal freedoms that they never before had. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act many African Americans felt that their goals had been reached.


Document 8 Graph depicting the Proportion of Black Children in Extreme Poverty.

Question 8a: What might you conclude about the African population as a whole in light of the data about African American children in extreme poverty?
For complete credit students must conclude that if African American children are in record rates of extreme poverty it is likely that the African American population as a whole is also experiencing record rates of extreme poverty.

Question 8b: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation. What problem was not adequately addressed according to the data above?
A correct answer must explain that while the Civil Rights Act of 1964 desegregated society in a legal sphere, according to the data African Americans are still experiencing economic segregation.


Part B

In order for a student to receive full credit for Part B, she or he must write a well-written essay that incorporates at least five out the eight documents from Part A. Al.ong with the documents the student must include their own personal knowledge about the topic. Students also need to include the following bullets within their essay:

• The social realities faced by African Americans under Jim Crow Laws.
• Pertinent Court cases and other legislation that was the result of, or influenced by, the Civil Rights Movement
• The various leaders and strategies used to achieve civil rights
• The successes and failures of the movement

Explanation of Sources

Document 1: Excerpt from Plessy v. Ferguson, (1896)
I chose document one as a context builder for the modern Civil Rights Movement. Plessy v. Ferguson made segregation constitutional and was an essential case for the perpetuation of the Jim Crow system. It also made for a nice transition into the social realities faced by African Americans under Jim Crow laws.

Document 2: Excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, (1954)
I chose document two because Brown v. Board was a pivotal decision. Manning Marable in his book Race, Reform, and Rebellion marks the Brown decision as the beginning of the "Second Reconstruction" (39). This case opened the flood gates for challenging other separate but equal legislation. It was a major catalyst in the Modern Civil Rights Movement; therefore, I have included it.

Document 3: A&T Students 'Sit Down," Headline and Photo
I chose document three because the actions of the four young men in Greensboro, like the Brown decision, really acted like a catalyst in the movement. Their actions certainly helped popularize the non-violent civil disobedience strategy. I used this document to introduce the non-violent direct action strategy so important to the movement.

Document 4: Non-Violent, Direct Action Demonstrators Attempt to Protect Themselves as Firemen Attack
I chose document four because it clearly illustrates the cruel and unusual punishment activists received during their demonstrations. The risk of violence or death was always a real fear for the Civil Rights activists. Using this document it was my intent that students would comprehend and include the risk in their essay.

Document 5: "A Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King, Jr., April 16, 1963
I chose document five because it covered many important points that I wanted to convey in the DBQ. First, I simply wanted to reinforce King's position of importance within the movement. Secondly, in "A Letter from Birmingham Jail," King gives a very powerful reason for his non-violent, civil disobedience strategy. The letter also demonstrates King's abilities as a communicator. Because King wrote to defend h is particular strategy, it demonstrates differing opinions among the civil rights leaders.

Document 6: Excerpt from a Speech given by Malcolm X in New York City, November 1963
I chose document six because I wanted to demonstrate the many voices in the Civil Rights movement. Document six provides a very nice contrast to document five. Malcolm X in t his document provides a well-reasoned argument by analogy defending his particular civil rights strategy. In doing so, he simultaneously defends his strategy while condemning the war in Vietnam. Therefore this document not only explores Malcolm X's position, it also places the Civil Rights Movement in the context of international policy.

Document 7: Excerpt from the Civil Rights Act of 1964
I chose document seven because the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation. Because of its effects on the lives of African Americans and its effects on the movement, I felt it needed to be included in some form.

Document 8: The Portion of Black Children in Extreme Poverty (1990-2001), with Commentary
I included document eight to help students recognize that though legal segregation was abolished by the Civil Rights act of 1964, African Americans were still segregated in terms of economics. While some might consider this document, and the conclusions drawn from it to be controversial, a wealth gap does exist between this country's African American and white populations. This document nicely ties the history of the Civil Rights Movement to the present situation faced by African Americans and the Movment.