The Civil Rights Movement
Donna Ravn
Nora Welch
INTRODUCTION
Wellesley, Massachusetts has decided to organize and create a museum dedicated to remembering and teaching about the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. You and your partners have been selected to curate this museum, though the Board of Directors has already specified the titles of the exhibits or rooms of the museum. Although a great deal is known about the Civil Rights Movement, the Wellesley Board of Directors has chosen to focus on the following topics.
TOPICS
1. OVERVIEW - Draw a timeline including 10 major events of the Civil Rights Movement. Include dates and key details.
2. THE GALLERY - Choose 7 figures who played important roles in the Civil Rights Movement. Using the resources listed below, create a one paragraph biography of each. Include a photograph and/or sound clip of your figure.
3. LEGISLATION - Read the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and summarize its key points. Which president signed this act into law? How was it received?
4. A TIME OF PROTEST - Change never comes easily. Explain how five of the following served as catalysts for the movement: sit-ins, "We Shall Overcome," "I Have a Dream," Freedom Summer, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Black Panther Party, George Wallace, and the Little Rock Nine.
5. CHANGES - List five ways that life changed as a result of the Civil Rights Movement.
6. DRAMA - Conduct a short interview with one of the figures you included in your gallery. Be historically accurate and include details.
7. ART - Design a logo for the museum or draw an illustration of a key event in the history of the movement.
RESOURCES
AFRO-AMERICA: The Black History Museum--Interactive Exhibits