Civil Rights

Civil Rights Lesson Plans

Latino Civil Rights Timeline and Lesson Plans  (Y, M, O, T)
This timeline and its accompanying lesson plans from Learning for Justice outline the Latino Civil Rights movement in the US from 1903 to 2006.

Facing History: Civil Rights Lesson Plans  (M, O, T)
Facing History has a large collection of lesson plans that focus on important ideas, people, and events from the Civil Rights Movement. Most of the lesson plans are geared toward older or more advanced students.

Civil Rights Teaching: Lesson Plans  (Y, M, O, T)
CivilRightsTeaching.org is a comprehensive website dedicated to teaching Civil Rights. The website is a one-stop shop for resources, lesson plans, and materials for teaching students of all ages.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute  (Y, M, O, T)
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute has a wealth of resources to learn about MLK and build Civil Rights lesson plans. The site offers encyclopedic information, primary sources, secondary sources, lesson plans, and online events (including documentaries).

Timelines, photos, and more

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee  (M, O)
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is a group that helped organize various actions, protests, and boycotts during the Civil Rights Movement. Its website is a great source of information and includes timelines, articles, and other resources.

LIFE Civil Rights Movement Photos  (M, O)
A collection of photo essays from LIFE that cover different topics, people, and events from the Civil Rights Movement.

1960s Gallup Polls on Civil Rights Protests  (M, O)
Historical data from Gallup polls taken in the 1960s show Americans' views of Civil Rights protestors and how they changed over time.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom  (M, O)
A comprehensive timeline from the 1900s to 1964 and the passing of the Civil Rights Act, complete with primary sources, images, legal documents, and more. From the Library of Congress.

Civil Rights Museums & Sites

Civil Rights Trail  (M,O,T)
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks, primarily in the Southern states, where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice. This website allows you to explore the destinations important to the Civil Rights Movement, as well as plan your journey to cities along the trail.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site   (Y,M,O,T)
Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in public schools. This site helps tells the story of the people involved and the political climate of the times. The website offers historical information about the park for those who cannot visit in person.

The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture  (Y,M,O,T)
The Center focuses on documenting and preserving memorabilia from the civil rights period, Montgomery black history, and the history of Alabama State University.

Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center  (Y,M,O,T)
The Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center preserves the Tuskegee history in Alabama. Tuskegee, well known as the training site of the Tuskegee Airmen, is lesser known as the birthplace of Rosa Parks.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute  (Y,M,O,T)
The website of the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum includes a virtual tour of the museum as well as teacher resources.

Rosa Parks Library and Museum  (M)
The only museum dedicated to the civil rights icon. Occasionally hosts virtual tours if you can't be there in person.

National Civil Rights Museum  (Y, M, O, T)
The National Civil Rights Museum is located in Memphis, TN at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. In addition to the exhibit, the Museum offers a collection of educator resources, activity ideas, and other materials online.

Civil Rights Memorial Center  (Y, M, O, T)
The Civil Rights Memorial is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the fight for Civil Rights. If you can't visit the Memorial in Montgomery, AL, the website hosts educational materials, including a Civil Rights activity book for kids.

Primary Sources

Civil Rights Act (1968)  (O)
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, also called the Fair Housing Act, banned discrimination in housing, rentals, and mortgages. The full text can be found on GovInfo.gov.

Civil Rights Act (1957)  (O)
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first of several Civil Rights laws and rulings throughout the Civil Rights Movement. The full text, as well as related letters, documents, reports, and statements can be found on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library website.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)  (O)
Loving v. Virginia was the landmark Supreme Court case that ruled bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. The full text of the case can be found on oyez.org.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)  (O)
Shelby County v. Holder was the landmark Supreme Court case that ruled certain portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional. The full text can be found on oyez.org.

Congress and the Voting Rights Act of 1965  (O)
This collection of primary sources from the Library of Congress that includes letters, statements, and photos related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Voting Rights Act (1965)  (O)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned discriminatory voting laws. The full text can be found on Archives.gov.

Civil Rights Act (1964)  (O)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in businesses and public places and outlawed discriminatory practices in hiring. The full text can be found on Archives.gov.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)  (O)
Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark Supreme Court case that prohibited legal segregation in public schools. The full text can be found on Archives.gov.

Civil Rights Movement Archive  (M, O, T)
The Civil Rights Movement Archive is an encyclopedic website that hosts a wealth of primary sources documenting the Civil Rights Movement from 1951-1968. You can find thousands of historical images, documents, reports, letters, articles, films, educator resources, and more.

Brown v. Board at Fifty: “With an Even Hand”  (O)
The Library of Congress put together an exhibition of primary sources and documents to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. The online exhibition includes reports, studies, statements, and more leading up to the case as well as covering the aftermath.