Bob Kendrick, president and CEO of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, discusses the impact that Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball in 1947 had on the Civil Rights Movement.
Bell Ringer: Life and Legacy of Frederick Douglass
Museum curator for the National Capital Parks – East Ka’mal McClarin – talks about the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass.
Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Intertwined tells the story of the more than 577 people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. Told through the biographies of Sambo Anderson, Davy Gray, William Lee, Kate, Ona Judge, Nancy Carter Quander, Edmund Parker, Caroline Branham, and the Washingtons, this eight-part podcast series explores the lives and labors of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community, and how we interpret slavery at the historic site today.
Voting Rights Marches in Selma
In March of 1965, civil rights activists and religious leaders marched from Selma to Montgomery to demand African Americans be given the right to vote. In this lesson, students will hear about the factors that contributed to the marches that occurred in Selma as well as visit key locations in the area and view archived video of the events that unfolded.
The Ruby Bridges Story
In this lesson, students will hear from a primary source, Ruby Bridges, as she spoke with elementary school students about her experiences as the first black student in an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960.
American Reckoning
The video segments for this activity come from “American Reckoning,” a Frontline and Retro Report collaboration that examines a little-known story of the civil rights era. This activity centers on the attempted murder of George Metcalfe and the response by the N.A.A.C.P. and Deacons for Defense chapters of Natchez, Miss.
Monthly Civics Themes
The Rendell Center has developed monthly themes designed to build basic civic knowledge, promote civic engagement, and provide practice in democratic deliberation. Each month offers an experiential learning opportunity for K-12 students to examine and discuss a new civics topic, with questions and activities designed to help them better understand the concept.
The March Trilogy Lesson Plans
The March trilogy, the informative and eye-catching autobiographical series of novels about the Civil Rights Movement as told from the perspective of former Congressman John Lewis, serves as the backdrop for these downloadable lessons from The Rendell Center. Designed for students in grades 6-10, these lessons educate about civil rights and lead to an engaged discussion on the topic through focused activities.
The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience
The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience explores, through primary source analysis, the efforts to realize the Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice by examining key periods in African American history. Six chronological primary source sets covering the colonial era to the present day allow students to consider how the efforts of law- and policy-makers, the courts, and “We the People” – individuals and groups – have worked to ensure a society faithful to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. A culminating assessment has students choose a topic to research and present to make connections to how the work to ensure a society aligned with Founding principles continues in the present day.
Lesson Plan: The Emmett Till Story
In this lesson, students will view videos to hear eyewitness accounts of what occurred while Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi. They will learn about the timeline of events, how they unfolded and the subsequent trial for the men involved. Students will also consider the impact this had on the Civil Rights movement and the legacy.