Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Beyond Brown: Recognize & Combat Segregation in u.s. Schools

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan on the continuing problem of school segregation that asks students to identify instances of school segregation today, to determine the reasons behind it, and to develop a plan for combating segregation in today's schools....
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Plessy v. Ferguson

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Plessy v. Ferguson

For Students 3rd - 8th
The decision of the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson kept black and white people separate in all public areas for many years. To find out what that meant, and to see some actual photographs, visit this page.
Article
Virginia Historical Society

Virginia Historical Society: Massive Resistance

For Students 9th - 10th
A chilling account of the ways Virginia lawmakers attempted to subvert the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education in 1958. Read about the Southern Manifesto, and the group of laws known as Massive Resistance.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Separate Is Not Equal: White Only

For Students 9th - 10th
This section from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's exhibition Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education gives the history of Jim Crow laws and how they affected not only the voting rights of...
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The South After the Civil War: Jim Crow

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains how Jim Crow laws came to be created in the South and what it meant for African Americans. Discusses the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case, how its decision was eventually overturned, and the events that brought an end to...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Briggs v. Elliott, Harry and Eliza Briggs

For Students 9th - 10th
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Harry and Eliza Briggs describe their experience in the first school desegregation case, Briggs v. Elliott.
Primary
NBC

Nbc Learn: Finishing the Dream

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of over one hundred archival video clips highlighting significant events in the history of the Civil Rights Movement since the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954. There are ten collections covering...
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Lampooning Injustice: Paul Conrad and Civil Rights

For Teachers 11th
In this lesson, 11th graders look at the work of Paul Conrad, a political cartoonist, who often explored issues around civil rights, including Brown v. Board of Education and school desegregation. Includes background information for the...
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Eyes on the Prize: School Desegregation, 1957 1962

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of a much larger site from PBS' American Experience's series, Eyes on the Prize, look through this multifaceted site that traces the resistance to implementing school desegregation ordered by the Supreme Court and shows the...
Unit Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Curriculum Unit Landmark Library

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This library of mini-lessons targets a variety of landmark cases from the United States Supreme Court and includes a one-page reading and a one-page activity.
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...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Desegregation Mandate: Jefferson County, Al

For Students 9th - 10th
A 1967 federal court order resulted in this document, which mandated school desegregation in Birmingham.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Civil Rights Activist: Vanessa Venable

For Students 9th - 10th
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Vanessa Venable describes the impact of school closings in Prince Edward County, Virginia, from 1959-1964.
Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Dwight Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs

For Students 9th - 10th
President Eisenhower tried to follow a middle road in proposing and supporting domestic affairs during his presidency. Read about the policies he put forward. Read also about his dealing with Senator Joseph McCarthy, and his spotty...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Hyde County School Boycott

For Students 9th - 10th
Narrative tells the story of a yearlong boycott to protest the closing of historically black schools in Hyde County, North Carolina.
PPT
Google Cultural Institute

Google Cultural Institute: Desegregation at Little Rock Central High School

For Students 9th - 10th
When state and local authorities fail to uphold the Federal Court orders for integration at Central High School, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to enforce those orders. Using an array of photos and primary source...
Interactive
Other

Hsi: First Days of School Desegregation

For Students 9th - 10th
An interactive site for students to learn about school desegregation. Photographs, oral histories and questions help guide the students to their conclusions.
Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Legacy of the Warren Court

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Read about the legacy of the Warren Court, including Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board of Education and Gideon v Wainwright.
Website
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Supreme Court Justices: Thurgood Marshall

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is an overview of the life and career of Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), an advocate for civil rights and the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Read about Marshall's family, education, and career in law and government.
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Plessy vs. Ferguson

For Students 9th - 10th
Transcript of the infamous Supreme Court decision that established the constitutionality of the principle of "Separate but equal," public facilities for members of different races. This was eventually overturned by the 1954 and 1955...
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Simple Justice

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the civil rights quest for integrated schools from the beginning in 1849 through the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education and the struggle that ensued for decades following in the most reluctant...
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Classroom: Freedom From Discrimination

For Students 9th - 10th
This website contains an interactive timeline about the history of freedom of discrimination in the United States.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Civil Rights: Demanding Equality

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Teach the history of Civil Rights using this comprehensive learning module. Trace the movement from the 14th Amendment to modern times. The focus is on African American rights but also touches on women and disabled American's rights....