"Freedom and Civil Rights" Essay Questions

The following unit is from a high school US History class. The class consists of all Sophomore
students coming from a variety of backgrounds. Total number of students: 20 = White 6, African-
American 2, Latino/a 3, Asian/Pacific islander 5, Native American 1, Multi racial/ethnic 3, Low-
income 45%, ELLs 10%, IEP 13%.
It focuses on the broad topic of “Freedom” during the 1960’s Civil Rights Era. The unit will
allow students to analyze the different pockets of movements that enacted a larger societal change
within an accustomed lifestyle. In this unit we focus three of our lessons on more specific occurrences
during this era. Through the use of video and text, we highlight the main points of the Civil Rights
Movement, major figures during the movement, and other ethnic movements inspired by the African
American mobilization such as the Chicano, Asian, and Native American Movement. This unit is
geared to not only enable student understanding and analysis of more modern forms of movements, but
also it works to collaborate different forms of media to enable all students, no matter their learning
style, to be able to attain the information provided and also be able to critically analyze the results of
the Civil Rights Era in present time.

Our unit includes interdisciplinary learning beyond social studies throughout the three weeks.
For example, the movie Birth of a Nation is used on Tuesday of Week One in order to introduce the
theme of racism to students and provide them with clear examples of racism during the 1960s. Another
lesson that reflects the main themes of this unit is one based on the different figureheads of the civil
rights movement and how ideologies between people leading the movement differed. The final theme
that is focused on for this unit is based around the influences that the African American Civil Rights
movement had on other minority groups. Drawing from movies such as Birth of a Nation, speeches
from the civil rights movement such as “I Have a Dream” and “Chickens Come Home to Roost,”
articles from the civil rights era, and their own class notes students have an ample amount of resources
to use for examples for these essay questions.

-Birth of a Nation movie

-“I have a dream” speech
-Martin Luther King Jr. Article:
-“War Against the Panthers: A Study of Repression in America” By Huey P. Newton
-MLK-“Letter From Birmingham Jail”
-Malcolm X-The Rooster comes ho
-YouTube: COINTELPRO
Article: "Young Chicanos"

Essay Question #1
The silent-film The Birth of a Nation is controversial because of the way it portrays the Reconstruction-
Era South and the violent actions of the Klu Klux Klan. After watching this movie in class, formulate
an essay that covers the following: 1) How are African-Americans portrayed in the film? 2) Does The
Birth of a Nation attempt to justify the actions of the Klu Klux Klan, and if so, how? 3) In America
today, can you think of any groups who use violent behavior similar to that of the KKK against
minority groups?

Essay Question #2
Two men, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., had a great influence on the Civil Rights Movement
during the 1950s and 1960s. These men held very different ideologies based on how to better serve the
black community. Martin Luther King Jr., in the public eye, is credited as the “Father of the Civil
Rights Movement.” In a brief essay, explain why you think people tend to gravitate towards King
more than Malcolm X? Be sure to compare the two ideologies both men assumed to achieve civil
liberties for the Black community using specific examples (ie. emotional language) from King’s “I
Have A Dream” speech and Malcolm X’s “Chickens Come Home to Roost” as your supporting
evidence.

Essay Question #3
Based on the African American Civil Rights Movement we have been studying, we have seen
it has had a rippling effect that impacted many other minority groups. Chicanos, Native Americans,
and Asians were inspired to act on their given freedoms. Using your class notes and articles we have
discussed in class, explain how these movements differed in comparison to each other, how successful
they were in gaining rights for these minority groups, and how these movements were inspired by the
African American Movement.