Civil Rights Unit | 15-Day Bundle | 1960s | 1970s | US History Lesson Plans, Review, Test, Keys
This 15-day **Civil Rights unit** lesson plan for **US History** students covers groups, movements & events of the **Civil Rights Era from the 1940s to the 1970s**, with a specific focus on the following:
- African Americans (Civil Rights and Black Power Movements)
- Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders | AAPI
- Hispanic, Latino and Chicano
- American Indians | Native Americans
- Women’s Liberation (Feminism)
- Gay Liberation | LGBTQ Activism
- Persons Accused of Crimes (Key Supreme Court rulings)
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Days **1-13** consist of **individual lessons**, Day** 14** consists of a **unit review**, and Day **15** consists of a **unit test**, with all necessary materials included. Each daily lesson is **thematic**, and all content has been carefully structured. For the complete list of lessons and all topics/events covered in each, see the end of this description.
This unit bundle is the result of many months of careful work. It is intended to be complete, inclusive, and ready-to-use for any teacher regardless of their prior experience with the content. The unit is **extremely content-rich** and could easily be extended beyond 15 days if a teacher chooses to do so.
**Bundle Contains (in downloadable .zip files):**
* ***Daily Lesson Files (to be used during Days 1-13):***
- Each daily lesson .zip file includes a PowerPoint presentation, student guided notes, and a multiple-choice quiz. Keys are included.
- Each lesson is ready-to-use with no prep required. All answer keys are included.
* ***Review & Test Files (to be used during Days 14-15):***
- Unit Study Guide and Scavenger Hunt Review Activity for interactive student engagement.
- Unit Test with 20 multiple-choice questions, many of which include documents or visuals.
- Full Unit Question Bank containing 47 multiple-choice questions (for test customization).
- All answer keys are included for easy and efficient grading.
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**Topics Covered By Lesson Include:**
* ***Civil Rights - African Americans - Early Black Activism (1940s-1957)***
- Problems faced by Blacks in the Jim Crow South, social activism, NAACP, direct action by Blacks, Black activists in the 1940s, victims/impacts of 1950s racial violence (ex: Emmett Till), Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., SCLC
* ***Civil Rights - African Americans - Desegregating Public Schools (1954-1963)***
- Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall, Southern Manifesto, the Little Rock Nine, New Orleans School Crisis, Ruby Bridges, the Ole Miss Riots, James Meredith, “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, JFK speech on Civil Rights
* ***Civil Rights – African Americans - Becoming a Nationwide Movement (1958-1964)***
- Direct action, Greensboro Four, sit-in movement, student movement, Diane Nash, John Lewis, SNCC, the Freedom Rides, the Birmingham Campaign, Bull Connor, MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail, the Children’s Crusade, March on Washington, “I Have a Dream”, Civil Rights Act of 1964
* ***Civil Rights – African Americans - Fighting for Voting Rights (1961-1965)***
- Disenfranchisement of Blacks, “Dixiecrats”, poll taxes, literacy tests, Bob Moses, Fannie Lou Hamer, Mississippi Freedom Vote, 24th Amendment, Mississippi Freedom Summer, Amelia Boynton, the Selma marches, “Bloody Sunday”, Voting Rights Act of 1965
* ***Civil Rights – African Americans - Fighting for Economic Opportunity (1963-1968)***
- Economic problems faced by Blacks, March on Washington, “War on Poverty”, Chicago Freedom Movement, Kerner Commission, Poor People’s Campaign, Memphis Sanitation Strike, MLK assassination, Civil Rights Act of 1968, Poor People’s March on Washington
* ***Civil Rights – African Americans - The Black Power Movement (1960s-1970s)***
- Black frustrations with slow progress, rise of more radical approaches, Black Nationalism, Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, the Black Power Movement, 1968 Olympics Black Power Salute, Black Panther Party, overall impacts of Black Power
* ***Civil Rights – Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) movements (1960s-1970s)***
- Understanding terminology, AAPI history in 1800s-early 1900s, increased AAPI activism in 1960s-1970s, Japanese American activism, Chinese American activism, Filipino American activism, Native Hawaiian activism, significance of AAPI movements
* ***Civil Rights – Hispanic, Latino and Chicano movements (1960s-1970s)***
- Understanding terminology, pre-1960s activism, increased activism in Civil Rights era, farm worker movement, Chicano activism, stateside Puerto Rican activism, Cuban American activism, impacts of Hispanic, Latino & Chicano activism
* ***Civil Rights – American Indian / Native American movements (1960s-1970s)***
- Understanding terminology, problems faced prior to 1940s, Termination Era, early Native American activism, increased activism in Civil Rights era, Fish Wars, Red Power Movement, American Indian Movement, impacts of Native American activism
* ***Civil Rights – Women’s Liberation (Feminist) movement in the 1960s***
- Challenges faced by women in the 1950s, Betty Friedan, rise of women’s liberation movement, understanding terminology, NOW), protesting employment discrimination, fighting for reproductive rights (Griswold v. Connecticut), radicalization in late 1960s
* ***Civil Rights – Women’s Liberation (Feminist) movement in the 1970s***
- Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, increased political participation, Shirley Chisholm, educational & economic opportunities (Title IX), reproductive rights (Roe v. Wade & Dobbs v. Jackson), Equal Rights Amendment, impacts of women’s liberation in the 1970s
* ***Civil Rights – Gay Liberation and LGBTQ activism (1960s-1970s)***
- Understanding terminology, Lavender Scare, LGBTQ activism in early-mid 1960s (sip-in movement), Stonewall Riots, increased LGBTQ activism (Gay Liberation, Pride), political progress (Harvey Milk), setbacks for LGBTQ rights in 1970s, continued struggle & 21st century progress
* ***Civil Rights – Rights of the Accused – Key Supreme Court Decisions (1960s)***
- Role of Supreme Court in civil rights, *Mapp v. Ohio* (exclusionary rule), *Gideon v. Wainwright* (establishment of public defenders),* Brady v. Maryland* (exculpatory evidence), *Miranda v. Arizona* (the Miranda warning), *Katz v. United States* (reasonable expectations of privacy) combined impact of these decisions
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**Slides/Pages: 575 total (481 slides, 94 pages)**
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**Why Teachers Love This Resource:**
- Huge savings — by purchasing this unit bundle, you save **50%** compared to buying each individual component.
- Comprehensive, No-Prep Unit—everything you need in terms of content for an entire unit of instruction.
- Ready-to-use materials—perfect for any teacher, experienced or new.
- Great for substitutes—all the materials are pre-formatted with answer keys provided.
- Ideal for virtual classrooms—easily adaptable for online teaching platforms.
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**Copyright/Usage Statement:**
This digital resource is my intellectual property, and all rights are reserved. Purchase of this product grants the buyer a single license for personal classroom use only. It may not be resold, distributed, or posted online in whole or in part without prior written permission.
