Featured Teaching Kits
Teacher-approved stories, resources, and worksheets for teaching about the civil rights movement in your classroom
The Legacy of MLK
The 1968 assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. stunned the nation, but his work continues to inspire the pursuit of racial equality in America.
How Barbara Johns Helped End Segregation
In 1951, there were 21 American states that required black students and white students to attend separate schools. A young African American girl named Barbara Johns knew this wasn't right—and that she had to do something about it. Her bravery led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling that changed the nation forever.
The Fight for Equal Rights
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s defined a generation. Watch this video to learn about the movement, its leaders, and the sacrifices made in the fight for equal rights.
The Little Rock Nine
In 1957, nine black students walked into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas—and into history. Relive their experience with this American History play.
Quotes
Famous quotes from civil rights leaders throughout history
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. . . . No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
— Rosa Parks
“By the force of our demands, our determination, and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them back together in the image of God and democracy.”
— John Lewis
“You are not judged by the height you have risen but from the depths you have climbed.”
— Frederick Douglass
Key Figures
Four civil rights figures who made an impact
Martin Luther King Jr.
This Baptist minister become the most important leader of the civil rights movement. His “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington encapsulated the historic vision behind the movement for African American equality.
Thurgood Marshall
A prominent black attorney, he represented the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education—the case that struck down “separate but equal” in U.S. schools—before the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall later became the first African American justice on the Court.
Barbara Johns
Barbara was just 16 years old in 1951 when she led a courageous protest to integrate the schools of her Virginia town. The lawsuit Johns started would become one of the cases folded into the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
Jackie Robinson
When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he became the first African American to play in baseball’s major leagues. In doing so, Robinson also helped open up all professional sports in the U.S. to black players.
Resources
Supplemental resources that link to external websites about the civil rights movement
Glossary
Terms and definitions that pertain to the civil rights movement
anthem
noun
a religious or national song, or a song that expresses the ideas of a particular group
boycott
verb
to refuse, as an act of protest, to participate in a certain event or to buy particular products
civil rights
noun
the rights of a country’s citizens, including social and political freedom and equality
Jim Crow
adjective
describing laws and practices that discriminated against African Americans after the Civil War
segregation
noun
the separation of people by race, ethnic group, gender, class, or personal orientation
sit-in
noun
a protest in which people seat themselves somewhere and refuse to move until their demands are met
Explore Other Topics
Discover other free social studies topics and middle school teaching resources
@historyhd On Unsplash (Civil Rights March); Bettmann/Getty Images (MLK); Gluekit (Photo Colorization), Rudolph Faircloth/AP Images (classroom); Bettmann / Contributor (woman and girl on Supreme Court steps); Bettmann/Getty Images (Little Rock Nine); TKTKTK (MLK); Stock Montage/Getty Images (Thurgood Marshall); Courtesy Of Joan Johns Cobbs (Barbara Johns); TKTKTK (Jackie Robinson)
