Domestic Politics and Reform
Unit Description: American politics went through upheaval in the 1960's and 1970's. African Americans, women and minorities struggled for justice and equality with protests and demonstrations. By the 1980's they had won increased recognition for their rights.
Stage 1- Desired Results
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
Students understand that...
The civil rights movement and the Great Society were attempts by people and the government to address major social, legal, economic, and environmental problems. Subsequent economic recession called for a new economic program.
Common Core Standards and Performance Indicators:
(Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, CIV, ECO)
Knowledge
Students know that...
8.9a The civil rights movement began in the postwar era in response to long-standing inequalities in American society, and eventually brought about equality under the law, but slower progress on economic improvements.
8.9b The civil rights movement prompted renewed efforts for equality by women and other groups.
8.9c The Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson strengthened efforts aimed at reducing poverty and providing health care for the elderly, but the Vietnam War drained resources and divided society.
8.9d Economic recession during the 1970s and concerns about the growth and size of the federal government encouraged fiscal conservatives to push for changes in regulation and policy.
8.9e Constitutional issues involving the violation of civil liberties and the role of the federal government are a source of debate in American society.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Students will compare and contrast the strategies used by civil rights activists, such as Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.
Students will explain the significance of key civil rights victories, including President Truman’s desegregation of the military, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Students will examine the extent to which the economic situation of African Americans improved as a result of the civil rights movement.
Students will examine struggles for equality and factors that enabled or limited success on behalf of women, farm workers, Native Americans, the disabled, and the LGBT community.
Students will examine judicial actions taken to protect individual rights, such as Miranda v. Arizona (1966) and Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969).
Students will explain the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.
Students will examine the connection between the Vietnam War, especially the draft, and the growth of a counterculture and peace movement.
Students will examine President Ronald Reagan’s and President George H. W. Bush’s cuts to social programs and taxes in an attempt to stimulate the economy.
Students will examine state and federal responses to gun violence, cyber-bullying, and electronic surveillance.
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Performance Task
Other Evidence
CRQ - Students will analyze a chart depicting some major African American organizations. (Page 16)
CRQ - Students will analyze an excerpt from the New York Times titled “Negro Bus Boycott Still On”, December 1955. (Page 16)
CRQ - Students will analyze a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.
DBQ - Students will analyze seven documents and write a well thought out essay responding to the following: Discuss two ways women have not had the same rights as men; Identify and discuss two individuals, groups, or events that have helped women in their struggle for equal rights.
DBQ - Students will analyze seven documents and write a well thought out essay responding to the following: Discuss ways in which African Americans have been denied equal rights; Discuss methods that individuals, groups and/or the government have used since 1950 to deal with the inequality faced by African Americans.
DBQ - Students will analyze seven documents and write a well thought out essay responding to the following: Discuss reasons immigrants came to the US; Discuss hardships immigrants faced after they arrived in the US.
The Great Society Programs - Students will identify the main provisions of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs and evaluate the effectiveness of each. (Page 53)
Miranda vs. Arizona - Students will examine the Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court case and analyze why the Supreme Court included each part of the Miranda Rights.
Black Rights and Protest - Students will compare and contrast the different approaches African Americans took toward achieving equal rights. (Pages 68-69)
Is Separate Unequal? - Students will compare and contrast the Supreme Court decisions in Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. (Page 70)
I Have a Dream Speech - Close read activity where students will analyze Martin Luther King Jr's speech. (Page 37)
Primary Source Analysis - Students will analyze right primary source documents to gauge what life was like during the Civil Rights Movement. (Pages 38-45)
Conflicting Images of Women - Students will compare and contrast two different images from the media depicting women. (Page 47)
Cesar Chavez - Students will analyze who Cesar Chavez was and his successes for the migrant farmers. Students will be able to compare and contrast the concerns between both growers and farmers during this time period. (Pages 52-57)
Stage 3- Related Lessons
Lesson Plans and Content
Videos, Documents, and Resources
Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech
Inquiry Unit: Students will focus on the Vietnam War Era (1964-1973) and respond to the question: Is protest patriotic?
Civil Rights Act - Students will compare and contrast a speech from JFK and from John Lewis to respond to the central questions: What was the Civil Rights Act? Was JFK a strong supporter of Civil Rights?
Great Society: A Success or Failure? - Students will analyze President Johnson's Great Society speech, a list of the major Great Society programs, and documents exampling the pros/cons of the Great Society to respond to the central question: Was the Great Society a success?
You Can’t Say That in School?! - Students discover how the five freedoms granted by the First Amendment apply to everyday life and in school. Students will determine when and why there are limits. The Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines School District is a basis for this set of lessons.
Segregation from Jim Crow to Linda Brown-lessons on Civil Rights Movement from the Library of Congress
1960's Civil Rights Movement
Teaching Tolerance - Multiple classroom resources regarding civil rights and social justice
Civil Rights: Then and Now - Collection of videos, documents and lends context to the events and leaders that defined the Civil Rights Movement’s first three decades (1954-1985). These resources also capture the issues and activists involved in the struggle today—those making headlines, stirring debate, and trending on social media.
Civil Rights Movement Primary Sources-collection from the Library of Congress
Suggestions for Diverse Learners:
Brain Pop - Cesar Chavez ; Civil Rights Movement ; MLK Jr. ; Brown v. Board of Edu.
Flocabulary - Katherine Johnson and the Space Race ; Civil Rights Movement ; MLK Jr. ; Voting Rights Act ; Women's Rights ;