25 Greatest Protest Songs

Was the Civil Rights Movement from 1954-1972 a success or a failure? Class members examine a series of primary source materials from video clips, to protest songs, from events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Supreme Court cases.

Does music unite or divide Americans? How does music reflect and influence American culture? After journaling an initial response to these central questions, groups examine primary source documents, listen and respond to a wide range of...

Young historians analyze the 1970 Kent State shootings to discuss the role dissent plays in a democracy. After viewing a detailed PowerPoint presentation, learners express their desire for change via a medium of their choice.

Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.

Students listen to some examples of "protest" songs and start their research in class on their computers by going to some of the websites mentioned. They ten decide what songs mean the most to them and keep a running set of notes...

Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...

High schoolers research protest songs of the Vietnam War era. They search for information on the artists and motivation for the lyrics. They interview people who remember the music from that era and bring back information they found.

Students explain the potential consequences of protest. They discuss selected historical conflicts and examine the role of the individual in protest.

Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.

Students identify the significance of the author's experiences on his written work; describe the hardships faced by slaves and plantation owners once the caves were set free; explain the role of the Seceses and why they were a threat to...