Curated OER
The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
Curated OER
How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?
Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...
Curated OER
Following Muddy's Trail
Young scholars view the AMERICAN MASTERS film "Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied" and research him using the Guided Reading strategy. They examine the influential musician's childhood and trace his journey from the Mississippi Delta to...
Curated OER
Home Sweet Home
Students complete activities with the books Color Me Dark, The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, and The Great Migration North. In this literature/History lesson, student read the story and discuss the plot. They analyze photographs taken...
Curated OER
Traveler's Trunk
Learners analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. In this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
Curated OER
The Great Migration: An Oral History
Students research the factors which contributed to the great migration and write a well organized research paper using multiple sources. They incorporate quotations into their paper, both direct and paraphrased, in accordance with MLA...
Curated OER
The Great Migration
Students research the Great Migration and answer questions to discover where it took place, when it took place, who were migrating, and why in a 2 page paper. They use a map or atlas to plot out the routes and destinations of those...
Curated OER
Heaven, Hell, and Baltimore
This lesson allows students to research and compare the city of Baltimore to other northern cities of interest during the Great Migration. After reading a narrative entitled Return South Migration and conducting extensive research,...
Curated OER
Returning to the South
Students reinforce their knowledge of the Great Migration by reading a narrative to investigate reasons why African-Americans chose to migrate from the South. Students then write editorials for a local newspaper that outlines the reasons...
Curated OER
New Perspectives On Teaching Afro-American History
Learners examine the Great Migration of African Americans to the North from the South. After reading a primary source document, they respond to the letter given a set of questions. In groups, they research the funding for white and...
Curated OER
Tell About South II: Poets and Prophets
Students explore the life of Richard Wright. They create a Power Point presentation to showcase Wright's journey from Mississippi to Memphis, Chicago, New York, and France and how he was an example of an African-American who moved north....
Curated OER
City Upon a Hill: Urban Centers and African-American Migrants
High schoolers examine why fugitive slaves migrated to cities and towns rather than rural areas. For this lesson, students consider the social, economic, and political benefits provided by cities and towns in comparison to rural areas.
Library of Congress
Loc: African Immigration: Africans in America: Life in a Slave Society
An excellent overview of the African American experience in America beginning with West Africa during the slave trade, through emancipation and reconstruction, to "New beginnings."
Hartford Web Publishing
Hartford Black History Project: Citizens of Color: Black Society After Civil War
Discusses the history of the African American community in Hartford, Connecticut, in terms of the migration of former slaves to the city right after the end of the Civil War. Also discusses a second wave of migration as African Americans...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Making of African American Identity: Volume Iii, 1917 1968: Migrations
Collection of 11 primary resources exploring the migrations made by African Americans in the 20th Century and the effects they had. Includes text links, notes and questions for discussion.
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Photographs of the 369th Infantry
Background information on the African American troops in the 369th Infantry accompanied by teaching activities that allows young scholars to analyze photographs and use the information in many curricular connections.
New York Public Library
The Great Migration: Two American Tales Lesson Plan: The Immigrants' Experiences
Part of an online exhibit that describes the experiences of migrants to the cities of the United States. Two American Tales asks young scholars to compare and contrast the nearly contemporaneous experiences of European immigrants and...
US Department of Labor
U.s. Department of Labor: The Federal Government and Negro Workers Under Wilson
This scholarly paper investigates the treatment of the federal government, sometimes ambivalent, sometimes hostile, during the presidential terms of Woodrow Wilson. See how Wilson's need for industrial workers and soldiers in the time...
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: World War I
World War I brought turmoil to Chicago because of its large immigrant population, especially Germans. Read about how the war affected the politics and industry of Chicago both during and after the war.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The East St. Louis Riot
Read about the shameful events and carnage in the targeting of African Americans in the East St. Louis Riot in 1917. This was truly a black mark in race relations in the United States.
Stanford University
Stanford History Education Group: Great Migration
[Free Registration/Login Required] Using primary sources, students will form their own conclusions as to why African-Americans moved north in large numbers during the early 1900's. Included in this lesson plan is a PowerPoint to use for...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Biography of America: A Vital Progressivism
View a chapter from "A Biography of America" about the Progressive Era that focuses on minority and immigrant perspectives. An excellent resources for understanding the struggles of Native American, Mexican immigrant, Asian immigrant,...
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...
Digital History
Digital History: The Progressive Era
A good overview of the many social and economic changes that occurred in the United States in the early 20th century. There are hyperlinks to information about the many social reforms, the sad state of race relations at the time, and the...