Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Competing Voices of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this Curriculum Unit, students will consider "Competing Voices of the Civil Rights Movement" in 2 Lessons. The unit also includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream"

For Students 9th - 10th
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech to hundreds of thousands of Americans at what is known as the March on Washington. This now-famous speech was both an apex and catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement in...
Website
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: Television News of the Civil Rights Era 1950 1970

For Students 9th - 10th
View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA television stations including 230 video clips that feature both national events, such as the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy, as well as...
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Odyssey: The Civil Rights Era

For Students 9th - 10th
This two-part feature on African American history offers an in-depth look at the events of the 1960's civil rights movement. Discusses voting rights, laws, military segregation, freedom rides, sit-ins and the NAACP. Includes historic...
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: International Civil Rights Walk of Fame: John Conyers, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a biography on John Conyers, Jr that highlights his achievements in the Civil Rights Movement.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: u.s. History: The Civil Rights Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
Outlines Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work as a civil rights leader from the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 up until his assassination in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Describes the different protest movements, including the...
Website
US House of Representatives

History, Art, and Archives: The Civil Rights Act of 1957

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the role of President Eisenhower in the impetus for the support of civil rights in 1957.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Civil Rights Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
Article details important people, places, and events in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
Lesson Plan
PBS

The March on Washington and Its Impact : Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learn about the social conditions in the United States that led up to the Civil Rights Movement. Also, explore peaceful resistance and the immediate impact of the march.
Article
Stanford University

Martin Luther King, Jr. And the Global Freedom Struggle

For Students 9th - 10th
This article takes readers through the events leading to the expansion of the Civil Rights Movement to the north through a major non-violent campaign protesting unfair housing practices in Chicago.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Black Nationalism and Black Power

For Students 9th - 10th
There were two methods of protesting discrimination of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement: follow Martin Luther King, Jr. or Malcolm X. Find out about the Black Panther Party, Black Nationalism, and Black Power.
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: The Civil Rights Movement Moves North

For Students 9th - 10th
Summers of the late 1960s was a time of widespread violence and rioting in the nation's major inner cities. What was previously thought of as a problem of the South had spread nation-wide and was now demanding immediate attention.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson provides links for students to use as they explore history behind the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance and the Civil Rights Movement. A strong focus is given to the economic barriers faced by African Americans.
Website
Stanford University

Mlk and the Global Freedom Struggle: Civil Rights Act of 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about President John F. Kennedy's role in attempting to outlaw segregation, and, after Kennedy's assassination, President Johnson's role in making that happen with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Handout
Robin Chew

Lucidcafe: Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader

For Students 9th - 10th
Informative biographical sketch of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with links to Gandhi and good information about the philosophy of nonviolent social protest. Includes links to text of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and the "I Have a Dream"...
Handout
Other

The Seattle Times: Martin Luther King Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
A complete resource on Martin Luther King, Jr. Contains a timeline on his life, audio files for some of his speeches, lesson plans, and more.
Article
Other

People's World: The Chicago Freedom Movement: Summer of 1966

For Students 9th - 10th
An informative and inspiring article about the African American struggle for civil rights in Chicago, 1966. The authors offer a first-hand account of protests against unfair housing and discrimination and the subsequent changes made.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: How the 1968 Sanitation Workers' Strike Expanded the Civil Rights Struggle

For Students 9th - 10th
With the slogan, "I am a man," workers in Memphis sought financial justice in a strike that fatefully became Martin Luther King, Jr.'s final cause. On February 12, 1968, 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis began a strike to demand...
Graphic
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: Activism in the Us

For Students 9th - 10th
American sociopolitical activism became especially prominent during the period of societal upheaval which began during the 1950s. The African American civil rights movement led the way, soon followed by a substantial anti-war movement...
Lesson Plan
Other

Civil Rights Teaching

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Online companion to the book "Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching", but many useful resources for any classroom.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King sought equality and human rights for African...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to over 250,000 people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In this speech, King discusses racial...
Lesson Plan
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This resource provides information about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s impact on American history. In addition, there are links to related topics.
Unit Plan
New York Times

New York Times: Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
An outstanding collection of materials for learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Students can engage in a text-to-text analysis of 'I Have a Dream' and 'The Lasting Power of Dr. King's Dream Speech'