Major Events in the Civil Rights Movement in America

Introduction

The purpose of this webquest is to introduce you to the events that fueled the Civil Rights Movement in America, beginning with the Supreme Court Decision of Brown vs. The Board of Ed in 1954 through the March on Washington and other events of the 1960s.

Step 1:

Websites to locate terms:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

DIRECTIONS: Write a definition for each word below:

1. Segregation
2. Integration
3. Discrimination
4. Racism
5. Suffrage
6. Boycott
7. Reform
8. Jim Crowe Laws
9. Protest
10. Civil Rights

Step 2:

Use the web linke to locate the recommended web site. Read through each linked section and answer the topic questions in a Word document. Use your digital locker space to save your work. When you have completed every section, you will decide which part of the Civil Rights Movement you think was the most important and why.

Brown vs. Board (1954) http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/brown.html

1. Why did this case go to court?
2. Was desegregation easy after the decision? Why or why not?
3. How did segregation violate the 14th Amendment?

Emmett Till (1955) http://www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515

4. Provide some basic background information on Emmett Till.
5. What happened to Emmett Till and Why?
6. What about Emmett Till’s story do you think helped ignite the Civil Rights movement?

Rosa Parks and The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm

7. Why was Rosa Parks Arrested?
8. Since she was not the first African American woman arrested for a bus violation, why did her arrest ignite the boycott?
9. How did segregationists fight the boycott?.

Freedom Riders (1961) http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides

10. Who were the Freedom Riders?
11. What was their purpose?
12. Where and when did they encounter resistance? Describe that resistance.
13. Who continued the ride when some people quit?
14. Were they successful in achieving their purpose?

March on Washington (1963)
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_march_on_washington_for_jobs_and_freedom/

15. How was this march different from previous marches?
16. Did all African-Americans support the march? If not, who were they?
17. What was the highlight of the day?
18. What was the aftermath of the march?

Conclusion

19. Answer in a paragraph: Which of these events do you think helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement the most? Use specific examples to explain your point.