CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION

SAMPLE LESSON THE CHALLENGE OF DIVERSITY

LESSON 5: SOCIAL PROTESTS

OVERVIEW . . . Knows the historical and contemporary
role of various organized groups in
In this lesson, students examine the civil rights move- politics.
ment of the 1950s and ’60s. First, students read and dis-
cuss a short history of the civil rights movement. Next, Understands how participation in civic and politi-
in a small-group activity, students apply a diversity cal life can help citizens attain individual and
checklist to four hypothetical case studies involving public goals. Specifically:
contemporary problems of diversity. . . . Knows historical . . . examples of citizen
movements seeking to . . . insure the equal
OBJECTIVES rights of all citizens . . . (e.g., civil rights
movement).
Students will be able to:
1. Recall significant protests during the civil rights PREPARATION
movement.
2. Analyze various protest tactics used by the civil You will need a copy of Handout C for each student.
rights movement.
PROCEDURE
3. Develop plans of action for hypothetical contem-
porary problems of diversity. A. Focus Activity: Write on the board “famous peo-
ple,” “demonstrations or protests,” “court cases,”
STANDARDS ADDRESSED and “laws.” Ask students: “What famous people,
demonstrations, court cases, or laws do you know
U.S. History Standards for High School: about from the civil rights movement of the 1950s
and ’60s?” As students come up with answers, write
Understands the struggle for racial and gender
them under the proper category on the board.
equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
When they finish brainstorming, point out to stu-
Specifically:
dents that the civil rights movement can be divided
. . . Understands how diverse groups united into three parts—the social protests, courtroom
during the civil rights movement (e.g., the struggles, and legislative action. Tell them that they
escalation from civil disobedience to more are going to find out about all three parts.
radical protest).
B. Reading and Discussion: Ask students to read
Civics Standards for High School: Social Protests on page 3. Hold a class discussion
using the Points of Inquiry on page 6.
Understands the essential characteristics of limited
and unlimited governments. Specifically: 1. What do you think were the most effective
protest strategies used during the civil rights
. . . Understands how civil society allows for
movement? Why?
individuals or groups to influence govern-
ment in ways other than voting and 2. During the civil rights movement, Martin
elections. Luther King stressed the involvement of many
groups and reached out to people of all colors
Understands the roles of voluntarism and orga- in the struggle for equality. In contrast, the
nized groups in American social and political life. black power movement focused on organizing
Specifically: blacks, sometimes to the exclusion of other
groups. What are the strengths and weaknesses
of each approach: Which do you think is more
effective? Why?
© 1999, Constitutional Rights Foundation 1
The Challenge of Diversity
C. Small-Group Activity: Solving Problems of Step 4. Call on groups to tell how they would solve
Diversity Case #1. Let class members discuss each group’s
Step 1. Tell students that in this activity, they are solution. Repeat for each case.
going to role play community groups addressing Step 5. Debrief the activity by asking students the
contemporary problems of diversity. Stress that following questions:
the problems of today are different than the prob- • What problems in race relations exist in
lems in the South in the 1950s and probably call America today? How are these problems differ-
for different tactics. ent from the 1950s? How are they similar?
Step 2. Divide the class into groups of two to • Do you think that the tactics and strategies
three students. Tell students that they are going to that civil rights activists used in the 1950s and
use Diversity Checklist: A B L E on page 4 to ’60s would apply to today’s racial and ethnic
help them address problems of diversity. Review conflicts? Why or why not?
the checklist with students.
Step 3. Distribute Handout C—Addressing
Problems of Diversity Today to each student.
Review the handout instructions and answer any
questions they may have. Monitor each group’s
progress during the activity.

© 1999, Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Challenge of Diversity 2
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
place. In this atmosphere, the social protests of the civil
Social Protests rights movement were born.
he modern civil rights movement in America took
T place from the mid-1950s through the early 1970s.
This turbulent period transformed America, changing it
THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT
In December 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, one of the
into a society with greater racial equality. The civil rights first major protests began. Rosa Parks, a black woman,
movement first focused on overturning the South’s legal refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger, as
segregation, its so-called Jim Crow laws. Later, it turned required by the city’s segregation laws. Although often
toward fighting racial discrimination in housing and depicted as a weary older woman too tired to get up and
employment, problems that affected the entire nation. move, Parks was actually a longtime, active member of
the NAACP. A committed civil rights activist, she decid-
This huge sprawling movement can be divided into three ed that she was not going to move. She was arrested and
strategic areas. One is social activism—the protests, jailed for her defiant and courageous act.
demonstrations, and boycotts. Another is the legal strug-
gle that took place in courts. The third occurred in the The NAACP saw Parks’ arrest as an opportunity to chal-
legislative arena, getting Congress and the president to lenge segregation laws in a major Southern city. The
enact civil rights laws and enforce them. NAACP called on Montgomery’s black political and reli-
gious leaders to advocate a one-day boycott protesting
The three areas interacted. The social protests led to her arrest. More than 75 percent of Montgomery’s black
arrests, resulting in court cases, which in turn led to residents regularly used the bus system. On the day of
court rulings outlawing segregation. The protests, with all the boycott, only eight blacks rode Montgomery’s buses.
their publicity, also helped force Congress and the presi-
dent to act. The process also worked in reverse. New laws The success of the one-day boycott inspired black leaders
and court decisions, if ignored, caused more protests. to organize a long-term boycott. They demanded an end
to segregation on the city’s buses. Until this demand was
The civil rights movement grew out of a long history of met, blacks would refuse to ride Montgomery’s buses. A
social protest. In the South, any protest risked violent young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King Jr.
retaliation. Even so, between 1900 and 1950, community led the boycott.
leaders in many Southern cities protested segregation.
The National Association for the Advancement of Car pools were organized to get black participants to
Colored People (NAACP), the leading civil rights organi- work. Many walked where they
zation of this era, battled racism by lobbying for federal needed to go. After a month, Montgomery’s businesses
anti-lynching legislation and challenging segregation laws were beginning to feel the boycott’s effects. Some segre-
in court. gationists retaliated. Blacks were arrested for walking on
public sidewalks. Bombs exploded in four black church-
Following World War II, a great push to end segregation es. King’s home was firebombed.
began. The NAACP grew from 50,000 to half a million
members. The walls of segregation that existed outside King conceived of a strategy of non-violence and civil
the South started crumbling. In 1947, Jackie Robinson disobedience to resist the violent opposition to the boy-
broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball and cott. In school, Henry David Thoreau’s writings on civil
soon black athletes participated in all professional sports. disobedience had deeply impressed King. But King did
In 1948, President Harry S. Truman ordered the integra- not believe the Christian idea of “turning the other
tion of the armed forces. cheek” applied to social action until he studied the
teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, who introduced the
The greatest victory occurred in 1954. In Brown v. Board “weapon” of non-violence during India’s struggle for
of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitu- independence from Great Britain. “We decided to raise
tional separate schools for blacks and whites. This deeply up only with the weapon of protest,” King said. “It is
shocked many Southern whites. White Citizens Councils, one of the greatest glories of America. . . . Don’t let any-
joined by prominent citizens, sprouted throughout the one pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the
South. They vowed that integration would never take weapon of love.” The tactic of non-violence proved effec-

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The Challenge of Diversity
tive in hundreds of civil rights protests in the racially Students in Nashville, Tennessee, created some basic rules
segregated South. for sit-ins:
The Montgomery bus boycott lasted 382 days. It ended Do show yourself friendly on the counter at all
when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on times.
the city’s buses was unconstitutional. Do sit straight and always face the counter.
The success of the boycott propelled King to national Don’t strike back, or curse back if attacked.
prominence and to leadership in the civil rights move- Don’t laugh out.
ment. When some Southern black ministers established Don’t hold conversations.
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Don’t block entrances.
in 1957, they chose King as its leader. The SCLC contin-
ued to lead non-violent boycotts, demonstrations, and Students in many cities endured taunts, arrests, and even
marches protesting segregation throughout the South. beatings. But their persistence paid off. Many targeted
businesses began to integrate.
THE SIT-INS
In October 1960, black students across the nation formed
In February 1960, four black college freshmen sat down the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in (SNCC—pronounced “snick”) to carry on the work that
Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked to be students had begun in the Greensboro sit-ins. SNCC
served. They were ignored but remained seated until the operated throughout the deep South, organizing demon-
counter closed. The next day they returned with more strations, teaching in “freedom schools,” and registering
students, who sat peacefully at the counter waiting to be voters.
served. They, like the protesters in Montgomery, were
practicing non-violent civil disobedience. The THE FREEDOM RIDE
Greensboro lunch-counter demonstrations were called
Some of the most dangerous and dramatic episodes of
“sit-ins.” As word of them spread, other students in
the civil rights movement took place on the Freedom
cities throughout the South started staging sit-ins. By
Ride. This was organized in 1961 by the Congress of
April 1960, more than 50,000 students had joined sit-ins.
Racial Equality (CORE), a civil rights group committed
The tactic called for well-dressed and perfectly behaved to direct, non-violent action. More than a decade earlier,
students to enter a lunch counter and ask for service. the U.S. Supreme Court had declared segregation on
They would not move until they were served. If they interstate buses and in interstate terminals unconstitu-
were arrested, other students would take their place. tional. Despite this decision, the buses and stations
remained rigidly segregated.

Diversity Checklist: Problem Solving

ABLE
Problems among groups, like other problems, can be confronted and solved. It takes skill and patience to
tackle many problems. Use the tips in ABLE to help you solve problems.
nalyze. Take a good look at the problem. Discuss it with others. What are your goals? What results
A do you want to achieve? Are there any outcomes that you want to prevent? Write down your goals in
order of importance.
rainstorm. What could you do to achieve your goals? Brainstorm a list of ways you could respond to
B the situation.
imit. Limit your list to those items that have the most promise. Try to get your list down to no more
L than five items.
valuate. Weigh each option. Is it likely to achieve your goals? What other results might it have? How
E might other people respond? Based on your goals, select the best option.

© 1999, Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Challenge of Diversity 4
In May 1961, black and white freedom riders boarded MARCH ON WASHINGTON
buses bound for Southern states. At each stop, they The violence in Birmingham and elsewhere in the South
planned to enter the segregated areas. CORE Director prompted the Kennedy administration to act. It pro-
James Farmer said: “We felt we could count on the posed a civil rights bill outlawing segregation in public
racists of the South to create a crisis so that the federal facilities and discrimination in employment. The bill
government would be compelled to enforce the law.” At faced solid opposition from Southern members of
first, the riders met little resistance. But in Alabama, Congress. In response, civil rights leaders organized a
white supremacists surrounded one of the freedom rid- massive march on Washington, D.C. On August, 28,
ers’ buses, set it afire, and attacked the riders as they exit- 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans traveled to
ed. Outside Birmingham, Alabama, a second bus was the nation’s capital to demonstrate for civil rights. The
stopped. Eight white men boarded the bus and savagely peaceful march culminated in a rally where civil rights
beat the non-violent freedom riders with sticks and leaders demanded equal opportunity for jobs and the
chains. full implementation of constitutional rights for racial
When he heard about the violence, President Kennedy minorities. Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I
sent federal agents to protect the freedom riders. Have a Dream” speech. It inspired thousands of people
Although the president urged the freedom riders to stop, to increase their efforts and thousands of others to join
they refused. Regularly met by mob violence and police the civil rights movement for the first time. Full press
brutality, hundreds of freedom riders were beaten and and television coverage brought the March on
jailed. Although the Freedom Ride never reached its Washington to international attention.
planned destination, New Orleans, it achieved its pur- In July 1964, President Johnson, surrounded by civil
pose. At the prodding of the Kennedy administration, rights leaders, signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into
the Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the inte- law. This was the most important civil rights act since
gration of all interstate bus, train, and air terminals. Reconstruction, almost a hundred years earlier.
Signs indicating “colored” and “white” sections came
down in more than 300 Southern stations. MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM SUMMER
BIRMINGHAM Much of the civil rights movement focused on voting
rights. Since Reconstruction, Southern states had system-
In 1963, Martin Luther King announced that the SCLC atically denied African Americans the right to vote.
would travel to Birmingham, Alabama, to integrate pub- Perhaps the worst example was Mississippi, the poorest
lic and commercial facilities. In defiance of Supreme state in the nation. Many Mississippi counties had no
Court orders, Birmingham had closed its public parks, registered black voters. Blacks lived under the constant
swimming pools, and golf courses rather than integrate threat of violence. Medgar Evers, a major civil rights
them. Its restaurants and lunch counters remained segre- leader in Mississippi, was murdered outside his home in
gated. 1963.
Peaceful demonstrators singing “We Shall Overcome” In 1964, SNCC and other civil rights organizations
met an enraged white populace and an irate police chief turned their attention to Mississippi. They planned to
named Eugene “Bull” Connor. Day after day, more register Mississippi blacks to vote, organize a Freedom
demonstrators, including King, were thrown in jail. Democratic Party to challenge the whites-only
After a month, African-American youth, aged 6 to 18, Mississippi Democratic party, establish freedom schools,
started demonstrating. They too were jailed, and when and open community centers where blacks could obtain
the jails filled, they were held in school buses and vans. legal and medical assistance.
As demonstrations continued, Connor had no place left
to house prisoners. Americans watched the evening news In June, only days after arriving in Mississippi, three
in horror as Connor used police dogs, billy clubs, and Freedom Summer workers disappeared. They had been
high-pressure fire hoses to get the young demonstrators arrested for speeding and then released. On August 4,
off the streets. As tension mounted, city and business their bodies were found buried on a farm. The discovery
leaders gave in. They agreed to desegregate public facili- directed the media’s attention to Mississippi, just two
ties, hire black employees, and release all the people in weeks before the Democratic National Convention was
jail. scheduled to begin.

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The Challenge of Diversity
A major dispute over the Mississippi delegation was Newark, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Thousands of injuries
brewing. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party had and arrests intensified the social conflicts. The 1968 assas-
elected delegates to attend the convention. They demand- sination of Martin Luther King sparked more violence,
ed to be seated in place of the segregationist Mississippi forcing the United States to confront its most troubling
Democrats. Ultimately, a compromise was struck, but the domestic crisis since the Civil War.
power struggle at the convention raised the issue of vot-
A “black power” movement emerged, challenging the
ing rights before the entire nation.
philosophies of non-violence and integration. Like the
SELMA non-violent movement, this development had powerful
historical roots. It originated in the violent resistance
In December 1964, the SCLC started a voter-registration
against slavery and continued in the outlook of major
campaign in Selma, Alabama. Although blacks outnum-
black spokespersons throughout the 20th century. In the
bered whites in Selma, few were registered to vote. For
late 1960s, SNCC and CORE adopted “black power.”
almost two months, Martin Luther King led marches to Activists argued that legal gains alone without corre-
the courthouse to register voters. The sheriff responded sponding economic and political power would deny mil-
by jailing the demonstrators, including King. The SCLC lions of African Americans equal opportunity.
got a federal court order to stop the sheriff from interfer-
ing, but election officials still refused to register any By the end of the decade with the Vietnam War escalat-
blacks. ing, the entire nation was in turmoil. Anti-war protests
crossed paths with unrest in the cities. Black power took
King decided to organize a march from Selma to many forms. The Nation of Islam preached black sepa-
Montgomery, the state capital. As marchers crossed the ratism. Members of the Black Panther Party set up break-
Edmund Pettis Bridge out of Selma, state police attacked. fast programs for children and published a daily newspa-
A national television audience watched police beat men, per while they armed themselves for a revolution. The
women, and children mercilessly. This brutal attack media shifted focus from non-violent black leaders to
shocked the nation and galvanized support for the the most radical black spokespersons. These new, more
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which would put elections in militant philosophies created considerable anxiety in
Southern states under federal control. mainstream America. By the mid-1970s, however, the
Two weeks later, the march resumed under federal protec- Vietnam War had ended and the protests had subsided.
tion. More than 20,000 people celebrated when the But the civil rights movement left a lasting legacy, forev-
marchers reached Montgomery, the site of the bus boy- er changing the face of America. It pushed America
cott 10 years earlier. toward its stated ideal of equality under the law. The civil
THE NORTH rights movement did not end America’s racial problems,
but it showed that great changes are possible.
Civil rights demonstrations also took place in the North.
Although legal segregation existed primarily in the South,
Northern blacks endured discrimination in employment
and housing. Most lived in poverty in urban ghettos.
King led demonstrations in Chicago, which the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights called the “most residential-
ly segregated large city in the nation.” Complaints of POINTS OF INQUIRY
police brutality mobilized many African Americans and 1. What do you think were the most effective
their supporters. They organized street rallies, picket protest strategies used during the civil rights
lines, and other forms of non-violent protest that had movement? Why?
dominated the civil rights movement in the South. Like
2. During the civil rights movement, Martin Luther
their counterparts in the South, many of these protesters
King stressed the involvement of many groups
encountered hostility among the white population.
and reached out to people of all colors in the
Until the 1960s, the civil rights movement had been inte- struggle for equality. In contrast, the black power
grated and non-violent. As the decade continued, howev- movement focused on organizing blacks, some-
er, the mood of confrontation intensified, reflecting the times to the exclusion of other groups. What are
growing frustration of millions of African Americans. the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?
Major riots broke out in American cities, including Which do you think is more effective? Why?

© 1999, Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Challenge of Diversity 6
 Handout C

Addressing Problems of Diversity Today

Below are three contemporary problems of diversity. As a group, imagine that you are in the sit-
uations described. Decide how you would address each problem. Develop a plan for each. Use
Diversity Checklist: ABLE on page 28 of The Challenge of Diversity to help you. Be prepared to
describe your plan to the class.

Case 1: Whose Dance Is It, Anyway?

Last year, black, Latino, and white students disagreed over the choice of music at the school
dances at Rockford High. Whenever members of one group didn’t like the music, they would
refuse to dance and make fun of the people dancing. The school administration has grown so
concerned that it has threatened to cancel the dances if the conflicts continue. You are mem-
bers of the dance committee. How would you address this problem?
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Case 2: Are You Following Me?

A local store close to Rockford High carries student supplies. Many minority students com-
plain that store security guards follow their every move within the store. None has been
stopped by the guards but the students feel intimidated and harassed. You are students at
Rockford High. How would you address this problem?
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Case 3: Is Bad News Good News?

KTV—TV4 covers the local news in Rockford. Lately, this popular station has increased its
focus on violence and youth crime. Now, the KTV-TV4 news only comes to Rockford’s poor and
minority neighborhoods when there is a murder, robbery, or drug arrest. Young people and
parents are complaining that the televised violence does not accurately reflect what is going on
in their community. You are community members. What would you do to address this problem?
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© 1999, Constitutional Rights Foundation 7

The Challenge of Diversity