Early Civil Rights Movement
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- Mar 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 31
Learning Target: I can explain the causes and effects of the civil rights movements by analyzing primary sources.
Do Now: As a team, brainstorm a list of ways of how Black Americans were oppressed during and immediately after Reconstruction (think of at least 5-6 examples). |
Historical Context - 1940s and 1950s
Discussion Question: WHY is the 1950s seen as the beginning of the modern civil rights movements?
Integration
Turn and Talk with Partner: What does “all deliberate speed” mean? What guidance did states have on how quickly they needed to integrate?
Little Rock Nine
The video features interviews with Little Rock Nine students
Little Rock Nine Interview Analysis Questions
Pausing video right after Eisenhower's speech to answer the first question below before you hear how the 101st Airborne actually treated the students. It creates a great moment for you to predict the outcome of federal intervention!
1. Analyzing Conflicting Perspectives on "Law and Order"
In the transcript, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus claims he mobilized the National Guard "to maintain or restore the peace," while President Eisenhower later deployed the 101st Airborne to prevent "interference with the orders of the court."
Based on the transcript and your knowledge of the era, analyze how both leaders manipulated the concept of "law and order" to justify entirely opposing actions. Who was actually protecting the peace, and how does the students' experience support your conclusion?
2. Drawing Conclusions on Psychological Trauma vs. Duty
Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals recounts a soldier telling her, "Warriors don't cry... select your time to cry. You can't cry when you go home. You don't cry now. Now all of your attention must be placed on saving your own life."
What conclusions can you draw from this quote about the unique psychological burden placed on these teenagers? Analyze how their role as students was overshadowed by their role as "warriors" for a national cause.
3. Evaluating the "Ripple Effect"
Ernest Green states that their actions "sent a ripple effect throughout the entire South." He notes that older people watched them on television and realized, "if I could see nine black kids go up these steps... then I could do something to change conditions for myself."
Using evidence from the text, justify how the presence of film footage and TV coverage transformed a local school dispute into a catalyst for national mobilization.
4. Dr. Beals reflects on the long-term impact of their sacrifice, stating, "I see the progress in front of me... I see young people of all colors just soaring... there is a harvest." Conversely, one of the YouTube commenters included in the transcript questions the loss of African American-owned schools, businesses, and curriculum, asking if they were "better off at their own schools."
Write a persuasive paragraph (8 - 10 sentences) about the systemic impacts of Brown v. Board of Education, evaluating the legacy of school integration:
To what extent did the integration of Central High School achieve true educational equality, and what unintended consequences (such as the displacement of Black educators) complicated that victory? (8 - 10 sentences)
Exit Ticket: Interview your partner and write down their response: • What caused the modern civil rights movements? • In which ways did individuals resist against the progress of the civil rights movements? |
