Name:
Web Quest
Topic: Letter from Birmingham Jail and Student Activism
In this unit we will be studying the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, with particular emphasis
on his Letter from Birmingham Jail, and making connections between the issues Dr. King
addressed and the tools he used to do so with our modern world. In order to fully understand and
make meaningful connections with this text, however, you must first understand the context in
which it was written and how we can make connections between this historical period and present
day. In this Web Quest you will read articles and view videos about these topics that will provide
you with the necessary background information you need for close study of this speech, as well as
get you thinking about the ways in which it is still relevant today.
To complete this Web Quest, first clink the link below to download this worksheet. This will allow
you to type directly into the worksheet. You will follow the links provided in order and answer a
series of questions for each article or video. This activity must be completed individually.
Everything you need to answer these questions can be found on the websites included, so please
do not conduct any additional web searches. Though some questions will be simple, addressing
your lower-order thinking skills such as remembering or understanding, others are designed to
address your higher-order thinking skills, including application, analysis, evaluation, and creation.
Essentially, this means that these questions are not ones that can be answered with a simple
regurgitation of facts – I want to see what you think about what you are reading, in your own
words.
This Web Quest is worth 35 points.
Part 1: Understanding Jim Crow – Setting the Setting
Review the video or read the transcript linked above, then answer the following questions:
1. Restate the definition of Jim Crow laws in your own words. (1 point)
(Level 2 – Understand)
2. What were three consequences of Jim Crow laws? (3 points)
(Level 1 – Recall)
3. Consider this quote from the video: “But predominantly, what Jim Crow would have been,
would be a system of customs. So it didn’t need to be enforced into laws for everyone who
lived there…to understand what was acceptable and what wasn’t, in terms of the racial
order.” Give an example of a social injustice in our society that is upheld or allowed by a
“system of customs.” (4 points)
(Level 3 – Apply)
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Name:
Part 2: A Call for Unity
Read the letter linked above, then answer the following questions:
1. What is the main argument of this letter? (1 point)
(Level 2 – Understand)
2. Why do you think the clergymen support the approach to injustice that they have proposed?
(4 points) (Level 4 – Analyze)
3. Write a short response (5-6 sentences) to the arguments presented in this letter. (5 points)
(Level 6 – Create)
Part 3: 50 Years Later, King’s Birmingham ‘Letter’ Still Resonates
Read the article linked above (and press “play” to listen along and hear excerpts of Dr. King’s
speech), then answer the following questions:
1. In their letter, the Alabama clergymen argued “When rights are consistently denied, a cause
should be pressed in courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets.”
What was Dr. King’s response to this? (1 point)
(Level 1 – Recall)
2. What do you think would have happened if Dr. King had taken that approach? (3 points)
(Level 5 – Evaluate)
Part 4: Student Activism
Read the article, “High School Student Activism: Past and Present,” and watch the video titled,
“How Can Students Advocate for a Cause?” then answer the following questions:
1. Summarize the main argument of the article. Do you agree with this argument? Why or
why not? (3 points)
(Level 2 – Understand; Level 6 – Create)
2. Why do you think student leaders of the Civil Rights Movement chose to get involved
knowing their participation would come with a “great cost”? (2 points)
(Level 3 – Apply)
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Name:
3. In this video, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas list several ways to get involved
in advocating for a cause. Which two tools or strategies to you think are most effective?
Explain your reasoning. (4 points)
(Level 6 – Create)
4. Having read about students in the past and present have created change, devise a way to
advocate for a solution to a current social issue. (4 points)
(Level 5 – Evaluate)
