Civil Rights

The purpose of this lesson is to take a comparative examination of the Civil Rights Movement. The actions of three Presidents at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement will be examined to determine the effectiveness of each.

The student will analyze the role of the President of the United States in the Civil Rights movement and desegregation.

In this lesson, students will be asked to analyze two groups of the letters written to President Truman concerning the desegregation of the United States military.  One group of letters will be supportive of the Desegregation of the US military and the second group of letters will voice opposition to the desegregation of the military.  

What is the difference between what Truman said and what he did on the subject of race

Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka

This activity will employ selected primary documents to explore Truman's views on the race question, from his days of courting Bess Wallace through his post-Presidential years.

Students will determine what facts, fictions, emotions, and/or events were involved between individuals and groups as they examine past prejudices in the cities of Pierce City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Wichita, Kansas.

Students will predict why Truman decided to desegregate the military. Students will then work in groups to analyze relevant primary documents to seek clarification for Truman's decision. Finally, each student will use evidence from the documents to write an essay arguing why Truman decided to desegregate the military.

Students will be using the Internet to identify regional trends in post reconstruction presidential elections through the election of Herbert Hoover in 1928. Keeping in mind these regional trends, students will then analyze responses to the DePriest tea incident.

In this lesson, the students will apply their knowledge of the tactics and strategies used during the Civil Rights Movement to the movements for women's rights and Native American rights. The students will use both primary and secondary sources.