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CommonLit | The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing by Jessica McBirney

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CommonLit is a nonprofit that has everything teachers and schools need for top-notch literacy instruction: a full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and formative data.

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CommonLit | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America Reading Passage

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This 5th grade reading passage shares key details about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and accomplishments. Read about how Dr. King changed America.

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J. Patrick Lewis20015th GradeFont SizeAAAA

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J. Patrick Lewis is an American poet and prose writer known for his children’s poetry. In this poem, a speaker describes the effects of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger.

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CommonLit | CommonLit Library | Browse Content by Theme, Grade Level and More

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View the CommonLit collection and filter by grade level, theme, genre, literacy device and common core standard.

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In December 1955, after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, black people in Montgomery, Alabama refused to use the bus until the laws were changed and they were treated fairly. In this passage, a young black girl writes to her cousin about the protest.

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CommonLit | Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

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The Civil Rights Movement was a social movement that began in the mid 1950s and lasted until approximately 1968. This movement fought to end racial segregation and discrimination against African-Americans in the United States. The small moments of resistance by ordinary citizens is what created the foundation for this revolution.

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement, a social movement in the United States that worked to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. King's contributions to this movement continue to be felt today and inspire others to combat inequality through nonviolence.

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CommonLit | The Story of Jackie Robinson & How He Changed Baseball

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This informational text tells the story of Jackie Robinson's role in baseball and in the Civil Rights Movement. Access guided questions and activities here.

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CommonLit | The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

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In the 1950s and 1960s the American people, backed by civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., were speaking out against racial inequality and discrimination. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled the separation of black and white children at school as unlawful in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

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Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement | Poetry Foundation

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The struggle for social justice remembered through poetry.

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Images of a Peoples' Movement

Your browser does not support the video tag.

The Photographers

Bob Adelman
Joe Alper
Eve Arnold
Richard Avedon
George Elfie Ballis
Ida Berman
Fred Blackwell
Alex Brown
Roy de Carava
Frank Cieciorka
Michael Clurman
Horace Cort
Jack Corn
Peter Cummings
Bruce Davidson
Jerry DeMuth
Jimmy Ellis
Bob Fitch
Bob Fletcher
John Hope Franklin
Leonard Freed
Jo Freeman
Pete Harris
Bruce Hartford
Declan Haun
Gary Haynes
Matt Herron
R.C. Hickman
Ed Hollander
Gerald Holly

Bill Hudson
Erle Johnston
Les Jordan
James Karales
R.C. Hickman
Ed Hollander
Gerald Holly
Bill Hudson
Erle Johnston
Les Jordan
James Karales
John Kouns
Julius Lester
Harold Lowe Jr
Danny Lyon
Spider Martin
Marion Palfi
Peter Pettus
John Phillips
Ted Polumbaum
Herbert Randall
Charmian Reading
Eldred Reaney
Alan Reich
Harvey Richards
Sue (Lorenzi) Sojourner
Ken Thompson
Cliff Vaughs
Tamio Wakayama
Ernest Withers

IMPORTANT NOTE — Copyrights © to these photographs belong to the photographers. Commercial use of these pictures is prohibited without the express written permission of the photographer. To identify the photographer (if known), simply let your cursor hover over the image to display the photographer's name or view the image metadata.

Submissions Policy

© Copyright
Webspinner: webmaster@crmvet.org
(Labor donated)

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student nonviolent coordinating 
committee

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national association for the 
advancement of colored people

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Civil Rights Movement: Photos and images of a peoples' movement.

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Your browser does not support the video tag. The Photographers Bob Adelman Joe Alper Eve Arnold Richard Avedon George Elfie Ballis Ida Berman Fred Blackwell Alex Brown Roy de Carava Frank Cieciorka Michael Clurman Horace Cort Jack Corn Peter Cummings Bruce Davidson Jerry DeMuth Jimmy Ellis Bob Fitch Bob Fletcher John Hope Franklin Leonard Freed Jo Freeman Pete Harris Bruce Hartford Declan Haun Gary Haynes Matt Herron R.C.

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southern christian leadership 
conference

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national association for the advancement of colored people

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Civil Rights Movement original documents sorted by type of document.

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Documents from the Southern Freedom Movement of the 1960s.

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The fight for civil rights in America is an ongoing one. When honoring Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr., or anytime throughout the year, teach students about the history of the civil rights movement to put in context race-related issues we continue to face today. Education World has compiled some great videos that examine the past, present and future of the movement, as well as some of the American icons who struggled to end discrimination. For each video, we include a description and grade level. We also note the video's capacity for engagement ("cool factor").

American Civil Rights Movement

Source: Crash Course History

Grade level: Fourth grade and up

Run time: 11:58

Description: The video is aimed at students, and the host acts very much like a teacher. Archival photos are interspersed with colorful transition and plenty of explanation.

Cool factor: The video is useful, despite its slightly dorky vibe.

History of the Civil Rights Movement

Source: WatchMojo.com

Grade level: Sixth grade and up

Run time: 5:53

Description: The video strings together photos and archival footage to (quickly) tell the story of the civil rights movement. It's not very in-depth, but provides a nice introduction to the topic.

Cool factor: It's neither flashy nor un-cool-just a pretty straight story.

Freedom Riders (A Documentary on Nonviolent Civil Right Movement in the U.S.)

Source: American Experience Films

Grade level: High school

Run time: 1:51

Description: This is a full-length film that covers the non-violent civil rights movement in the United States. The very well-done piece features extensive interviews, impressive footage and a large budget (compared to other educational films).

Cool factor: It's hard to not be moved by some of the personal stories told here.

Civil Rights Movement U.S. History Music Video

Source: Koreancoffee (a YouTube user)

Grade level: Sixth grade and up

Run time: 3:14

Description: A quick pictorial history of the civil rights movement is set to "A Change Is Gonna Come," by Sam Cooke. The video offers a nice scene-setter for a lesson on civil rights.

Cool factor: Kids may not know who Sam Cooke is, but his cool factor is undeniable.

Article by Daniel Kline, EducationWorld Contributing Editor
Education World®
Copyright © 2014 Education World

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Best Instructional Videos: The Civil Rights Movement | Education World

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The fight for civil rights in America is an ongoing one. When honoring Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr., or anytime throughout the year, teach students about the history of the civil rights movement to put in context race-related issues we continue to face today.

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Essential Question

How did popular music reflect the values of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and help the movement convey its message?

Overview

There is no American social movement of the 20th or 21st century more closely connected to music than the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Protesters, some in prison, sang freedom songs to keep their spirits up. Folksingers, black and white alike, wrote songs about the paradoxes and pains not just of the Jim Crow South, but of the racism that had long troubled American life.

Perhaps no song was more closely associated with the Civil Rights movement than "We Shall Overcome." Based on a 19th-century African-American Gospel song, "We Shall Overcome" was picked up by the labor movement in the 1940s, during which time the folksinger/activist Pete Seeger first came across it. Seeger then helped popularize the song in the early phase of the Civil Rights movement, when it quickly became a ubiquitous sing-along anthem that crowds of activists embraced, often swaying side to side, arm in arm. Joan Baez performed it at the 1963 March on Washington; President Lyndon Johnson quoted it in his speech to Congress proposing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Songs reflecting the themes of the Civil Rights movement were not limited to Folk - the genre commonly associated with American protest songs - but could be found in all types of popular music. The Jazz revolution of the 1960s was affected by the Civil Rights movement. A number of Blues songs compared the oppression of southern blacks in the early 1960s to the racial injustices earlier in the century and before. By the end of the decade, even Motown Records was releasing records by artists ready to speak out against American racism.

In this lesson, students will examine the history and popularity of "We Shall Overcome" and investigate six additional songs from different musical genres that reveal the impact of the Civil Rights movement. These are: Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," a poignant Blues song depicting the horrors of lynching; Bob Dylan's "Oxford Town," a Folk song about protests after the integration of the University of Mississippi; John Coltrane's "Alabama," an instrumental Jazz recording made in response to the September 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four African-American girls; Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam," a response to the same church bombing as well as the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers in Mississippi; Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," a Soul song written after Cooke's arrest for attempting to check in to a whites-only motel in Shreveport, Louisiana; and Odetta's "Oh Freedom," a spiritual that Odetta performed at the 1963 March on Washington.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will:

1. Know (knowledge)

The role of music as a motivating force in the Civil Rights movement

The history of "We Shall Overcome" and its central importance to the Civil Rights movement

The ways in which popular songs of different musical genres reflected the values and beliefs of the Civil Rights movement

The effectiveness of music in spreading the message of the Civil Rights movement

2. Be able to (skills):

Analyze the lyrics of popular music for meaning

Analyze instrumental music for meaning and attitude

Make connections between popular music and historical events

Evaluate the role and effectiveness of music as a tool of political protest

Common Core: Students will investigate text, audio and video to analyze the role of music in the Civil Rights movement (CCSS Reading 1; CCSS Reading 7; CCSS Writing 2; CCSS Writing 9; CCSS Speaking and Listening 2; CCSS Language 4)

Motivational Activity:

1. Display the following quote on the board:"Without these songs, you know we wouldn't be anywhere. We'd still be down on Mister Charley's plantation, chopping cotton for 30 cents a day."
- Cordell Reagon, founding member of the Freedom Singers of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

2. Briefly discuss:

Who is the "we" Reagon is referring to?

What does Reagon suggest about the importance of music to the Civil Rights movement?

How might song be a particularly effective way to deliver a human message?

Procedure:

1. Distribute Handout 1: "We Shall Overcome." Ask for a volunteer to read the introduction out loud.

2. Play Clip 1, "Pete Seeger discussing 'We Shall Overcome'" and how the song first came to the Civil Rights movement.

3. Play Clip 2, "Joan Baez - We Shall Overcome (1966)" and discuss:

What do some members of the audience begin to do almost immediately after Baez begins singing?

How does the song make you feel? What emotions does it arouse?

In the Pete Seeger video, he mentions how the song was a big hit at the 1960 meeting he attended, and that other civil rights groups wanted to learn it. Why do you think it caught on? What is it about the song and the lyrics that made "We Shall Overcome" such a popular sing-along song? (Instructor: You may wish to emphasize the idea that it is a very easy song to learn and to sing, and thus very adaptable as a sing-along.)

How does the song convey the main message of the Civil Rights movement? In terms of the lyrics? In terms of the tune? Why do you think it became so important to the movement?

4. Remind students that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which made it illegal to prevent African Americans from voting, was one of the most important legal victories of the Civil Rights movement. Play Clip 3, "President Lyndon Johnson Speech on Voting Rights" and discuss:

What is Johnson arguing for? Why does he say this is necessary?

What phrase does he use at the end of this clip? What is the reaction of the senators and congressmen watching?

Why do you think Johnson used this phrase?

What does Johnson's use of this phrase and the reaction suggest about the influence of the song "We Shall Overcome" on the country's view of the Civil Rights movement?

5. Play Clip 5, "Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream", delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, and discuss:

Where is the speech taking place? What is in the background? Why is this significant?

What is King's main message?

What happens in the crowd when the speech ends and you can hear the voice at the microphone saying "keep order"?

Why do you think the crowd begins singing at that point?

Who is in the crowd? Is it only African Americans? What does this tell you about the Civil Rights movement?

What is the crowd doing while it sings? What impression does this convey?

6. Divide students into groups of 3-4; create duplicate groups to accommodate class size. Instruct students that each group will work together the analyze another important song that in some way came to be associated with the civil rights movement:

7. Distribute handouts for each group (Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, and Odetta) and prepare a listening or viewing station for each group at which they will listen to or view a performance of the song.

8. After all groups have completed their investigations, have each group report to the class as a whole, summarizing the importance of its song to the Civil Rights movement. Briefly discuss:

Was there a specific issue or incident that your song was responding to? What role did the song play in making people aware of that issue and encouraging support of the Civil Rights movement?

Why did the artist record this song? Why do you think people wanted to listen to it?

Summary Activity:

Distribute Handout 2: Music and the Civil Rights Struggle. Ask for a volunteer to read the paragraph aloud. Discuss:

Why was music so important to the Civil Rights movement?

What do the speakers in the article suggest music could provide for the movement? For participants in the movement?

How can music help someone or some issue "become visible"?

Is music simply a form of entertainment, or can it have other purposes as well?

Writing Prompt:

Ask students to write a short essay on the role of music in the Civil Rights movement, referencing specific songs in their argument. Why do many historians say that music had such a crucial role in the movement? Discuss whether the movement helped to create the Civil Rights music studied in this lesson, whether the music helped to create the movement, or both. Students should select one of the songs analyzed in this lesson and describe its importance to the Civil Rights movement.

Extensions:

1. Ask students to research the involvement of folksinger Joan Baez in the Civil Rights movement. Baez performed "We Shall Overcome" at the 1963 March on Washington, and the song became closely associated with her. In 2009, Baez performed the song for President Barack Obama at the White House. Watch Clip 6, "Joan Baez - We Shall Overcome (2009)" and ask students to contemplate the significance of Baez performing this Civil Rights anthem for an African-American president. How has the setting changed since the 1966 performance included in the beginning of the lesson? How does the audience react in each case? Has the meaning of the song changed between 1963 and 2009?

2. Have students use the Internet to identify another song that reflects on the Civil Rights era and do research on the meaning and the purpose of that song. Students might be encouraged to seek out some of the "motivational anthems" of the movement, such as "Eyes on the Prize," "Freedom Now," or "We Shall Not Be Moved." Students may either turn in their work as a written report or, ideally, present and explain their song to the class.

3. Have students research the use of "We Shall Overcome" as a protest song in the years since the Civil Rights movement. They may wish to explore its use during the "Velvet Revolution" that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia or Bruce Springsteen's performance of the song in Oslo, Norway, in the aftermath of the 2011 terrorist attack that killed 77 people, along with numerous other examples of its recurring use.

4. Mature students may wish to further investigate the issue of lynching at the center of Billie Holliday's "Strange Fruit." The "Without Sanctuary" website contains a film and numerous photographs of individuals lynched in the United States. The images are quite graphic, and this activity is recommended only for mature students for whom this material is appropriate.

Common Core State Standards
College and Career Readiness Reading Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 for Literature and Informational Text

Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Reading 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

College and Career Readiness Writing Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 in English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

Writing 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Writing 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 6-12

Speaking and Listening 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language for Grades 6-12

Language 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Social Studies - National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

Theme 1: Culture

Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change

Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance

Theme 10: Civic Ideals and Practices

National Standards for Music Education
Core Music Standard: Responding

Select: Choose music appropriate for a specific purpose or context.

Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response.

Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators' and/or performers' expressive intent.

Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.

Core Music Standard: Connecting

Connecting 11: Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to deepen understanding.

National Core Arts Standards
Responding

Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

Connecting

Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

Anchor Standards 11: Relate artistic ideas and work with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

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The Music of the Civil Rights Movement - TeachRock

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How did popular music reflect the values of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and help the movement convey its message? There is no American social movement of the 20th or 21st century more closely connected to music than the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

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Civil Rights Movement US History Music Video

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Civil Rights Text-Differentiated Reading Levels

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Civil Rights Text-Differentiated Reading Levels

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Civil Rights-Main Ideas and Summarizing Lessons/Texts

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Civil Rights-Main Ideas and Summarizing Lessons/Texts

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Iconic images of the civil rights movement

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To mark Black History Month in February, let's take a look at some iconic images of the civil rights movement.

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Historical Fiction Grades 3-6 | Lee & Low Books

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Running Out of Night book. Read 70 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Fans of Elijah of Buxton, Trouble Don't Last, and Stealing Fre...

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Bull Run by Paul Fleischman | Scholastic

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Northerners, Southerners, generals, couriers, dreaming boys, and worried sisters describe the glory, the horror, the thrill, and the disillusionment of the firs

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Dear America:When Will this Cruel War be Over

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Dear America:When Will this Cruel War be Over

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When Will This Cruel War Be Over by Barry Denenberg | Scholastic

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In her diary, a 14-year-old girl living in Confederate Virginia describes the hardships endured by her family and friends during one year of the Civil War.

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Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi | Scholastic

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Thirteen-year-old Eulinda is torn between being a slave and being the master's daughter.

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Magic Tree House

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Civil War on Sunday | Magic Tree House (R) | Magic Tree House | Penguin Random House

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Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!

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Analyzing Perspectives through Primary Sources, Part 2

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In this two-part video, fifth-grade students in Aubrey Wilk's class at Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago analyze primary sources about American slavery. Students will conclude their study of this time in American history by writing a fictional memoir written from the perspective of someone who was affected by slavery.

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Available on Epic

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instant access to thousands of great kids books.

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Instantly access 35,000 high-quality books for kids

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The leading digital library for kids offering unlimited access to 35,000 of the best children's books of all time. Sign up for a free 30 day trial to instantly access high-quality online books for kids, ebooks, audio books, quizzes, videos, and more.