This document provides a summary of key events in the civil rights movement in the United States, including racial segregation laws, the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision declaring segregation unconstitutional, Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat leading to the Montgomery bus boycott, the use of federal troops to enforce desegregation of Little Rock high schools, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and the March on Washington, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing discrimination. The document includes discussion questions about these topics and a review of true/false statements about civil rights history.

1. Equal Rights for all Americans: A
Common Core Unit
By: Dean Berry, Ed. D.
Gregg Berry, B.A.

2. Part One
View, Read, and Think

3. Class Discussion
 What is meant by the term racial
segregation?
 Did the United States ever segregate racial
groups?

4. Let’s Take a Look at the
History of Civil Rights

5. For many years African
Americans were kept
separate (segregation)
from whites in schools and
all public places including
restaurants and hotels.

6. Court Decision
Over 118 years ago, the
Supreme Court made a
critical decision regarding
racial segregation.

7. Segregation

8. The “separate but equal” court
decision kept the races apart
through segregation.

9. Class Discussion
 Do you think having separate but equal
schools for boys and girls is fair?
 Would it be fair to require Hispanic
students to go to a separate school from
other students as long as the schools were
equal in quality?
 Is separation of people based on race
legal under our Constitution?

10. Court strikes
down
segregation
58 years later

11.  Over a period of 58 years, Americans’
views and legal opinions matured enough
to recognize that SEPARATE WAS NOT
EQUAL. The combined efforts of civil
rights activists and courageous leaders like
Martin Luther King, Jr. led to action by the
Supreme Court.

12. The U.S. Supreme
Court Acts

13.  Brown v. Board of Education became a
landmark Supreme Court decision in which
the Court declared state laws that created
separate public schools for black and
white students to be unconstitutional. The
Court ruled that this was a violation of the
Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

15. The decision provided an
opportunity for children of all
races to attend school together.

16. Class Discussion
If you had to argue in front of the Supreme
Court and defend having children of all
races attend school together, what
arguments would you make?
Can you support your point of view with
logical arguments?

17. 1955
In 1955, Rosa Parks was
arrested for refusing to give up
her bus seat to a white man.
At that time, Alabama state law
required African Americans to sit
in the back of the bus and give up
their seats to white bus riders.

18. Rosa Parks drew national attention
to the racial discrimination that
African Americans faced in
southern states. As a result of her
heroic action, other activists were
able to gain support for the civil
rights movement.

19. Class Discussion
 Do you think that Rosa Parks should have
broken state law and refused to give up
her seat?
 What would you have done in that
situation?
 Did Rosa Parks accomplish anything with
her actions?

20.  Federal laws and Supreme Court decisions
sometimes come into conflict with state
and local laws. When that happens,
federal law must be followed. However, if
a state refuses to obey the federal law,
the federal government can choose to
send in federal troops to enforced the
implementation of the law. This was the
case in Arkansas in 1957.

21. 1957
Little Rock, Arkansas
High School
Refuses to admit
9 African American
students

22. Arkansas 1957

23. Federal Troops enforced the integration of
Arkansas high schools and protected the
rights of African American students to attend
class.

24. With federal government support, schools in
the South finally allowed white and black
students to attend classes together.

25. In 1960, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated
public buses were unconstitutional. However, the
southern states ignored the ruling and refused to
enforce the law. As a result, civil rights activists
organized “freedom rides” to demonstrate their
rights to ride integrated buses.

27. The freedom riders rode all over the
South to bring attention to unjust
segregation. Young people of mixed
races rode together to challenge
southern discrimination.

28. In 1963, several hundred thousand people
marched to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate for
civil and economic rights for African Americans.

29. The march on Washington put pressure on
Congress to pass new legislation in support
of civil rights.

30. Class Discussion
 Why would legislation be
necessary for civil rights?
 How does legislation get passed?

31. During the march on Washington, Martin
Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most
memorable speeches in U.S. history.

32. 1963
“I have a Dream”
Speech by
Martin Luther King Jr.

33. • The “I Have a Dream” speech rallied
widespread support for civil rights
legislation.

34. Class Discussion
Most people consider Martin Luther
King, Jr. a very important and
influential leader.
What qualities and characteristics
do you think are important for
great leaders?

35. Martin Luther King Jr.’s
dream for justice began
to be realized in 1964
and is still a work in
progress.

36. The momentum for action
resulted in the landmark “Civil
Rights Act” of 1964.

37. Discrimination based on race
became illegal.

38. Justice for African Americans
came ten years after
Brown v. Board of Education
and Rosa Parks with the
passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964

39. Class Discussion
 Which laws have priority, state laws or
federal laws? Why?
 Which laws do you think should “ rule the
day”, federal or state?
 Are there any laws that states get to
determine for themselves?

40. More Discussion
How should
unfair laws be
changed?

41.  During the twentieth century civil disobedience has
been used to help change laws that were perceived
by some as unjust. Civil disobedience is defined as
the act of disobeying a law on grounds of moral or
political principle. It is sometimes one of the
methods used to influence society and change
points of view about a law. When civil disobedience
is nonviolent, it can be an effective tool for change.
Illegal street demonstrations and peaceful
occupations of buildings are examples of civil
disobedience.

42. Civil Disobedience
to protest Racial Inequality

43. Boycotts, sit-ins,
marches, and freedom
riders resulted in new
laws protecting individual
rights.

44. Class Discussion
 What is a boycott?
 Is it fair to boycott a business
because you don’t like their practices?
 In what kind of situations do you
think a boycott might be effective?

45. The Road to Civil Rights
 Brown v. Board of Education
 Separate but equal struck down 1954
 Rosa Parks bus boycott 1955
 Lunch counter sit-ins 1960’s
 Civil Rights freedom riders 1960’s
 Martin Luther King Jr. March on Washington,
D.C. “I have a Dream” speech 1963
 Civil Rights Act 1964-Outlawed discrimination

46. Class Discussion
Do minority groups still face
challenges today?
Give some examples

47. Class Check-up and
Review
Raise your green card if you believe the
statement is true or your red card if you
think it is false.

48. True or False 1
Segregation of the races
enables everyone to be more
effective and successful.

49. False-1

50. True or False 2
Our current Supreme Court
decided a few years ago
that separate but equal
schools for different races
would be Constitutional.

51. False-2

52. True or False 3
In 1955 Rosa Parks
was sent to jail for
not giving up her bus
seat to a white man.

53. True-3

54. True or False 4
In 1957 the President of the
U.S. used federal troops in
Arkansas to force the
governor and state national
guard to step aside and
obey federal law.

55. True-4

56. True or False 5
The Civil Rights
Act of 1964
outlawed
discrimination.

57. True-5

58. True or False 6
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a
dreamer with good ideas but
lacked the ability to put ideas
into action.

59. False-6

60. True or False 7
 Brown verses the Board of Education
 was a Supreme Court Decision that
guaranteed minorities the right to a free
four year college education.

61. False 7

62. True or False 8
 The use of federal troops in Arkansas in
1957 to force the governor to obey the
law to integrate the schools is a good
example of how federal law supercedes
state law when the two are in conflict.

63. True 8
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