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Civil Rights
iCivics celebrates Black History Month by releasing our civil rights curriculum unit. It covers the early days of the expansion of slavery in the United States through the momentous 1950s and 60s and the modern Civil Rights Movement. Four lessons use primary documents, readings, activities and more to introduce key concepts and events.
Lesson Plan
Examine the history of slavery in the United States. Trace the development and expansion of slavery in the 19th century and learn about the conflicts and compromises that occured prior to the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
Lesson Plan
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era brought about the end of slavery and the expansion of civil rights to African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Compare the Northern and Southern states, discover the concepts of due process and equal protection, and understand how the former Confederate states reacted to the Reconstruction Amendments.
Lesson Plan
Use primary documents and images to discover the ways state and local governments restricted the newly gained freedoms of African Americans after the Civil War. Compare, contrast, and analyze post-war legislation, court decisions (including Plessy v. Ferguson), and a political cartoon by Thomas Nast to understand life in Jim Crow states.
Lesson Plan
Discover the people, groups, and events behind the Civil Rights Movement. Learn about means of non-violent protest, opposition to the movement, and identify how it took all three branches of the federal government to effect change. Protest posters, fictional diary entries, and a map of the movement's major events develop a greater understanding of the struggle for civil rights.
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