Understand the impact of events leading up to the development of federal civil rights; identify methods used to expand the right to participate in the democratic process; evaluate the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals.

The escalating violence in America, marked by the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, Malcolm X in 1965, and Martin Luther King in 1968, was a catalyst for the voices of African Americans who saw non-violent protest as ineffective amid continued social and economic discrimination. The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Nation of Islam, and later, the Black Panther Party promoted remedies ranging from organizing for economic empowerment to Armed Self-Defense. When SNCC’s Stokely Carmichael popularized the phrase, “Black Power” in 1966, many white, and some black Americans felt threatened, while others felt excluded. Meanwhile, President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs declared “war” on the poverty in the midst of a nation that one economist called the “affluent society.” America was headed towards two national identities: “one black, and one white.”

• CA  12.3: 2; 12.5: 4; 12.6: 4 Historical Interpretation: 3
• TX  113.32(7): a-d; 113.32(18): a; 113.38(1): b, c
• FL  SS.A.5.4: 7, 8
• NCSS  II(HS): e, f; V(HS): a, e-g; VI(HS): a-d, f, g, i; X(HS): a-h

2 class periods

• Activity Sheet, The Civil Rights Movement, Phase II: 1960–1990
• Timeline, Daily Life in the United States, 1960-1990: Decades of Discord 
• Tours through Time, Riots: 1968 Riots in the Nation’s Capital 
• Graphic Organizer, Concept Map
• Performance Rubric

Students have the opportunity to write an Analytical Essay (see Extension below).

What are the effects of citizen action in promoting social change?

Point of View Students will create a talk show in which four prominent leaders and their supporters from the civil rights movement are interviewed. Group members will research the social and political climate, major events, and influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

Have students research the topic using the provided links. Encourage them to use the suggested graphic organizer as they read the articles.

Washington, D.C., 1968: A soldier stands on the streets of the nation’s capital.

To start students thinking about the social and political climate of the period, have them examine the photograph.

Key questions students should answer are:

• What elements in this photograph indicate the presence of violence?
• What does the presence of soldiers suggest about the social/political atmosphere during the Civil Rights struggle?

Distribute the Student Activity sheet. Divide the class into four groups, assigning one of the following titles to each group: followers/supporters of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and President Lyndon Johnson. Each group will select students to act as interviewer, civil rights leader, and supporters, with remaining group and class members serving as audience members. To prepare for the interview, each group will research the Civil Rights movement, giving consideration to the following topics.

• Citizen Action: Protests, Marches, Sit-Ins
• Violence vs. Non-Violence
• Civil Rights Legislation
• The War on Poverty
• Civil Rights and Group Identities
• Impact of Media: Television

Tell students that you will allot ten minutes for each interview. Explain that each group will take its turn on stage to perform a segment of the talk show. Remind students that the interviewer will engage in a conversation with the assigned historical figure. Remaining students will pose questions from the audience.

Use the Performance Rubric to assess students’ performance.

Have students reflect on their performance and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.

Ask students: Which individual or group was most influential in bringing about Civil Rights legislation?

Expository Writing Have students use Daily Life through History to research and write about the effectiveness of non-violent protests throughout U.S. history.

Critical Thinking: EVALUATE