The
Power
of
Youth:
Exploring
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
with
“Freedom’s
Children”
Overview
Students
will
explore
the
contribution
of
young
people
to
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
by
reading
the
book
“Freedom’s
Children,”
recognizing
that
any
individual,
regardless
of
age,
has
the
power
to
help
bring
about
social
change.
In
groups,
students
will
prepare
a
presentation
on
an
assigned
chapter
of
the
book
that
they
will
teach
to
classmates.
This
lesson
will
culminate
with
students
designing
a
stamp
that
honors
one
of
the
young,
active
citizens
from
“Freedom’s
Children.”
Grade
8
North
Carolina
Essential
Standards
• 8.H.1.3
-‐
Use
primary
and
secondary
sources
to
interpret
various
historical
perspectives.
• 8.H.1.5
-‐
Analyze
the
relationship
between
historical
context
and
decision-‐making.
• 8.H.2.1
-‐
Explain
the
impact
of
economic,
political,
social,
and
military
conflicts
(e.g.
war,
slavery,
states’
rights
and
citizenship
and
immigration
policies)
on
the
development
of
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States.
• 8.H.2.2
-‐
Summarize
how
leadership
and
citizen
actions
(e.g.
the
founding
fathers,
the
Regulators,
the
Greensboro
Four,
and
participants
of
the
Wilmington
Race
Riots,
1898)
influenced
the
outcome
of
key
conflicts
in
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States
• 8.H.3.3
-‐
Explain
how
individuals
and
groups
have
influenced
economic,
political
and
social
change
in
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States.
• 8.C&G.1.4
-‐Analyze
access
to
democratic
rights
and
freedoms
among
various
groups
in
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States
(e.g.
enslaved
people,
women,
wage
earners,
landless
farmers,
American
Indians,
African
Americans
and
other
ethnic
groups).
• 8.C&G.2.1
-‐Evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
various
approaches
used
to
effect
change
in
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States
(e.g.
picketing,
boycotts,
sit-‐ins,
voting,
marches,
holding
elected
office
and
lobbying).
• 8.C&G.2.2
-‐Analyze
issues
pursued
through
active
citizen
campaigns
for
change
(e.g.
voting
rights
and
access
to
education,
housing
and
employment).
• 8.C&G.2.3-‐
Explain
the
impact
of
human
and
civil
rights
issues
throughout
North
Carolina
and
United
States
history.
• 8.C.1.3
-‐Summarize
the
contributions
of
particular
groups
to
the
development
of
North
Carolina
and
the
United
States
(e.g.
women,
religious
groups,
and
ethnic
minorities
such
as
American
Indians,
African
Americans,
and
European
immigrants).
Essential
Questions
• What
power
do
young
people
have
to
positively
affect
their
communities?
• In
what
ways
were
young
people
impacted
by
segregation,
racism
and
violence
during
the
1950s-‐1960s?
• How
did
young
people
contribute
to
the
Civil
Rights
Movement?
Materials
• Images-‐“Young
Boy
Protesting
Segregation”
and
“The
Children’s
Crusade,”
attached
• Quotes
by
MLK
and
Malcolm
X,
attached
1
• “The
Children’s
March,”
a
video
by
Teaching
Tolerance;
request
a
free
copy
and
teacher’s
guide
at:
http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-‐times-‐childrens-‐march
(optional)
• “Eyes
on
the
Prize:
No
Easy
Walk”
(optional);
this
can
typically
be
checked
out
via
your
local
library
• Freedom’s
Children:
Young
Civil
Rights
Activists
Tell
Their
Own
Stories,
by
Ellen
Levine
• Freedom’s
Children
Chapter
Response
Sheet,
attached
• Freedom’s
Children
Presentation
Note
Sheet,
attached
• Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
Stamp
Images,
attached
Duration
Two
or
more
class
periods
Procedure
Youth
Power
1. As
a
warm-‐up,
ask
students
to
brainstorm
a
list
of
all
the
adjectives
that
they
feel
describe
young
people
of
their
age.
Write
their
answers
on
a
piece
of
chart
paper
and
discuss.
Then,
ask
students
to
respond
to
the
following
question
in
writing,
citing
evidence
and/or
examples
to
back
up
their
answer:
• Do
young
people
have
the
power
to
change
our
community?
Explain.
2. Once
students
have
had
ample
time
to
write
their
thoughts,
allow
them
to
discuss
as
a
class.
Ask
students
to
expand
their
answers
by
asking
follow
up
questions,
or
questions
that
challenge
their
ideas
to
encourage
deeper
thinking.
As
the
class
discusses,
ask
students
if
they
can
think
of
any
specific
examples
though
out
history
when
young
people
have
made
a
difference.
The
Children’s
Crusade
3. Project
the
attached
image
of
a
young
boy
protesting
segregation,
and
ask
students
to
comment
on
what
they
see.
Prompt
them
to
consider
when
they
believe
the
photo
was
taken,
where
it
took
place,
and
what
was
happening
before,
during,
and
after
the
pictured
moment.
Once
it
comes
out
the
image
represents
a
protest
against
segregation,
ask
students
to
share
what
they
already
know
regarding
segregation.
4. Project
the
attached
image
of
the
Children’s
Crusade,
again
encouraging
students
to
share
their
observations.
If
needed,
specifically
prompt
students
to
comment
on
the
age
of
those
pictured.
Again,
facilitate
student
inferences
regarding
when
and
where
the
photo
was
taken,
as
well
as
ideas
of
what
was
happening
before,
during,
and
after
this
photo.
After
discussing,
explain
that
this
photo
is
of
some
of
the
900+
students
who
were
held
by
the
police
in
Birmingham,
Alabama
in
1963.
The
students
were
arrested
for
protesting
segregation.
Give
students
some
background
information
on
what
became
referred
to
as
the
“Children’s
Crusade”:
• During
segregation,
adult
protesters
faced
life
altering
consequences,
such
as
losing
their
jobs,
for
participating.
With
the
civil
rights
movement
in
Birmingham
running
out
of
adults
who
could
take
this
risk
in
1963,
organizers
noted
that
children
has
less
to
lose.
Thus,
on
May
2,
1963,
hundreds
of
students,
some
as
young
as
6-‐years-‐old,
skipped
school
to
carry
signs
and
sing
freedom
songs
protesting
segregation.
By
the
end
of
the
day,
over
900
youth
had
been
sent
to
Birmingham
jails
due
to
their
peaceful
protesting,
and
the
jails
overflowed,
unable
to
hold
such
numbers.
With
threats
of
suspension
and
expulsion
from
their
principals,
and
the
knowledge
they
would
be
thrown
back
into
jail,
the
children
still
returned
to
the
protest
lines
the
very
next
day.
Police
tried
to
dissuade
the
young
protestors
by
spraying
them
with
fire
hoses
and
releasing
attack
dogs.
When
pictures
of
these
young
protestors
being
attacked
made
front
pages
across
the
nation,
society
could
no
longer
ignore
what
was
taking
place
in
Birmingham.
Due
largely
to
youth
participation,
on
May
10,
1963
the
desegregation
of
many
of
Birmingham’s
public
facilities
began.
2
5. Project
the
two
attached
quotes,
once
made
by
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
to
the
parents
of
the
young,
jailed
protestors;
the
other
made
by
Malcolm
X
in
response
to
the
jailing
of
the
children
in
Birmingham.
Discuss:
• How
do
MLK
and
Malcolm
X’s
views
differ
regarding
youth
involvement
in
the
civil
rights
movement?
• What
does
MLK
mean
when
he
says
that
the
children
were
doing
a
job
for
themselves
and
“all
of
mankind?”
Do
you
agree
with
him?
Why
or
why
not?
• What
point
is
Malcolm
X
trying
to
make?
Do
you
agree
or
disagree
and
why?
• Do
you
think
you
would
have
joined
the
“children’s
crusade”
were
you
living
in
Birmingham
in
1963?
Why
or
why
not?
6. Optional
Activity
1:
Show
the
movie
“The
Children’s
March”
(or
excerpts),
produced
by
Teaching
Tolerance
and
available
free
to
teachers
at
http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-‐times-‐childrens-‐march.
The
teacher’s
edition
is
40
minutes
long
and
“tells
the
story
of
how
the
young
people
of
Birmingham,
Ala.,
braved
fire
hoses
and
police
dogs
in
1963
and
brought
segregation
to
its
knees.
Their
heroism
complements
discussions
about
the
ability
of
today's
young
people
to
be
catalysts
for
positive
social
change.”
Teachers
with
time
may
also
want
to
consider
using
some
of
the
activities
in
the
accompanying
curriculum
guide.
Optional
Activity
2:
Watch
“Eyes
on
the
Prize:
No
Easy
Walk”
on
Birmingham
and
the
Children’s
Crusade.
Have
students
address
the
following
questions
in
small
groups
or
as
a
class:
• Why
did
the
SCLC
and
ACMHR
make
the
decision
to
use
children
in
the
campaign?
• Why
were
parents
discouraged
from
posting
bail
for
their
children?
• What
do
you
think
King
meant
when
he
stated
that
the
demonstrations
allowed
children
to
develop
“a
sense
of
their
own
stake
in
freedom
and
justice”?
• How
might
you
have
responded
to
the
call
to
participate
in
the
demonstrations?
• What
sacrifices
would
you
be
willing
to
make
for
a
cause
you
care
about?
Be
specific.
Ø Teacher
note:
If
electing
not
to
show
either
movie,
teacher’s
should
move
on
to
introduce
the
book
Freedom’s
Children
and
allow
students
to
get
started
with
their
reading,
using
the
next
class
period
to
finish
and
teach
their
classmates
about
their
chapter
(process
described
below).
Teacher’s
who
do
show
the
movie
will
introduce
Freedom’s
Children
at
the
beginning
of
the
next
class
meeting.
Freedom’s
Children
7. Hold
up
a
copy
of
the
book
Freedom’s
Children
and
tell
students
that
“this
book
is
about
thirty
young
African
Americans-‐children
and
teenagers-‐who
tell
in
their
own
words
of
their
involvement
in
the
civil
rights
movement
of
the
1950s
and
1960s.
Uncluttered
by
concerns
of
power
or
fame,
they
had
the
simplest
and
clearest
of
political
urges,
the
impulse
for
freedom.”
Teachers
may
also
choose
to
read
the
book
introduction
to
the
class.
8. Break
students
up
into
seven
groups
and
assign
each
group
one
of
the
seven
chapters
in
the
book.
Explain
to
students
that
they
will
be
responsible
for
reading
and
discussing
their
chapter
in
their
group
then
teaching
the
rest
of
class
about
their
chapter.
Provide
each
student
with
a
copy
of
the
attached
Freedom’s
Children
Chapter
Response
Sheet,
and
provide
a
copy
of
the
book
for
each
individual
or
pair.
(Teacher’s
should
use
their
discretion
whether
to
have
the
students
complete
the
reading
and
response
questions
individually
then
discuss
in
their
small
groups,
or
whether
to
have
the
students
read
as
a
group
(i.e.
using
literature
circle
format)
and
complete
the
questions
together
while
discussing
as
a
group.)
3
9. Once
each
group
has
read
their
chapter
and
answered/discussed
the
response
questions
for
their
chapter,
they
must
work
to
prepare
a
group
presentation
in
which
they
teach
the
remainder
of
class
about
their
chapter.
Give
students
the
following
presentation
guidelines:
Teaching
Freedom’s
Children
10. Based
on
what
you
read
in
your
chapter
and
your
answers
to
the
response
questions,
your
group
must
teach
the
remainder
of
class
about
the
most
important
aspects
of
your
chapter.
• Read
the
chapter
carefully
and
answer
the
questions
on
the
Chapter
Response
Sheet
with
as
much
detail
as
possible.
Discuss
your
initial
impressions
of
the
chapter
with
your
group.
If
there
is
any
part
of
the
chapter
that
is
unclear
to
you,
discuss
it
with
your
group.
• After
discussing
the
chapter
and
your
answers
to
the
provided
questions,
each
of
you
should
share
ideas
on
what
you
think
is
most
important
to
teach
others
about
from
your
chapter.
Consider
what
you
felt
was
most
interesting
or
striking
as
you
read.
• Once
your
group
has
decided
what
is
most
important
to
share
with
the
class,
determine
how
to
teach
them
this
information
in
an
engaging,
interesting
way.
How
can
you
ensure
your
classmates
learn
the
important
information
from
this
chapter?
Presentations
may
be
creative
(i.e.
a
choral
reading,
staged
interview
or
press
conference,
news
cast,
dramatic
re-‐enactment,
etc.)
• Your
chapter
presentation
must
be
at
least
5
minutes,
summarize
the
chapter’s
content,
and
highlight
what
you
have
deemed
most
important
for
your
classmates
to
know.
Every
member
of
your
group
must
participate
when
presenting
the
information
from
your
chapter.
11. Teachers
should
use
their
discretion
as
to
how
much
time
(in
class
and
homework
time)
group’s
need
to
complete
the
reading
and
presentation
planning.
Once
groups
are
ready
to
present
their
chapter
lessons,
go
over
class
expectations
for
being
a
respectful
audience
member.
Also,
hand
out
the
attached
Freedom’s
Children
Presentation
Notes
and
instruct
students
that
they
will
fill
in
things
that
they
learn
from
their
classmates
during
the
presentation.
After
each
of
the
seven
presentations,
facilitate
a
feedback
session
in
which
students
comment
on
what
they
learned
and
ask
questions
of
the
presenters.
Also,
teachers
should
fill
in
any
important
information
from
the
chapter
that
presenting
groups
may
have
left
out.
12. After
all
groups
have
presented,
discuss:
• Based
on
your
chapter
or
those
described
to
you
today,
what
most
surprised
you
from
Freedom’s
Children
and
why?
• All
of
the
firsthand
accounts
in
the
book
were
from
young
people
around
your
age.
What
compelled
them
to
participate
in
the
Civil
Rights
Movement?
Why
do
you
think
they
shared
their
stories?
Do
you
think
making
the
decision
to
participate
or
share
their
stories
was
an
easy
one?
Why
or
why
not?
• Why
did
some
people
choose
not
to
participate
in
the
Civil
Rights
Movement?
• Compare
and
contrast
our
society
today
with
that
of
the
1950s-‐1960s.
If
you
were
living
then,
do
you
think
you
would
have
participated
in
the
Civil
Rights
Movement?
Why
or
why
not?
Do
you
think
youth
would
be
as
involved
in
a
modern
day
movement
as
the
youth
of
the
50s-‐60s
were?
Explain.
Create
a
“Limited
Edition”
Stamp
13. Focus
students
on
the
concept
that
while
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
was
undoubtedly
a
great
source
of
inspiration
and
motivation
during
the
struggle
for
civil
rights,
the
movement
was
mostly
fought
and
won
by
ordinary
citizens
exhibiting
extraordinary
motivation,
courage,
strength,
and
perseverance,
many
of
whom
were
young
people
such
as
those
in
Freedom’s
Children.
14. Explain
to
students
that
often
times
the
US
Postal
Service
releases
special
edition
stamps
to
honor
various
heroes,
heroines,
important
events,
memorable
periods,
etc.
Project
the
attached
examples
of
Martin
4
Luther
King,
Jr.
stamps
and
facilitate
a
discussion
of
what
the
stamps
represent
and
teach
the
public
regarding
MLK
and
the
Civil
Rights
Movement.
15. Give
students
the
following
assignment:
• In
preparation
for
Black
History
Month,
the
US
Postal
Service
has
commissioned
you
to
design
a
new
stamp
celebrating
a
“lesser
known”
citizen’s
contribution
to
the
Civil
Rights
Movement.
Choose
one
young
citizen
from
Freedom’s
Children
who
you
felt
most
impacted
by
(perhaps
it
was
their
actions,
their
experiences,
the
words
they
shared,
or
something
else
that
stuck
out
to
you.)
Design
a
stamp
that
honors
this
person’s
experiences,
contributions,
legacy,
etc.
Your
stamp
must:
o …Be
at
least
8
½
X
11
in
size
o …Contain
the
person’s
name
o …Contain
a
visual
image
representing
the
person
and/or
their
contributions
drawn
by
you
o …Be
creative
(stamps
can
be
realistic
or
symbolic)
o …Be
artistic
(neatly
designed,
obvious
effort,
colored)
o …Be
accurate
(art
work
must
exhibit
time
appropriateness;
stamps
can
also
contain
text)
You
must
also
write
a
paragraph
describing
your
stamp,
the
person
it
is
in
honor
of,
that
person’s
accomplishments/contributions
to
the
movement,
and
why
you
think
the
public
need
to
know
about
him/her.
Culminating
Activities
• Freedom’s
Children
contains
firsthand
accounts
(oral
histories)
of
people
who
participated
in
the
Civil
Rights
Movement.
Assign
an
oral
history
project
such
as
Living
History:
Local
Voices
of
the
Civil
Rights
Movement,
available
in
CEC’s
Database
of
Civic
Resources
under
Goal
7.
• Listen
to
NPR’s
“Separate
but
Unequal,”
the
story
of
16-‐year-‐old
Virginian
Barbara
John,
who
in
1951
lead
an
historic
walkout
to
protest
overcrowding
at
her
all-‐black
school:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1894713
5
Young
Boy
Protesting
Segregation
Source:
http://sphtc.org/timeline/1960-‐4.jpg
6
The
Children’s
Crusade
Source:
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/liberation-‐curriculum/lesson-‐plans/childrens-‐crusade-‐role-‐youth-‐african-‐american-‐freedom-‐
struggle-‐2
7
Quotes
“Don’t
worry
about
your
children;
they
are
going
to
be
alright.
Don’t
hold
them
back
if
they
want
to
go
to
jail,
for
they
are
not
only
doing
a
job
for
themselves,
but
for
all
of
America
and
for
all
of
mankind.”
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
“Real
men
don’t
put
their
children
on
the
firing
line.”
Malcolm
X
8
Name:
__________________________________
Freedom’s
Children
Chapter
Response
Sheet
Chapter_____________________________________________
(number
and
title)
1. According
to
the
chapter
you
read,
what
types
of
expectations
and
required
etiquette
existed
during
segregation?
2. What
examples
of
unfair
treatment,
racism,
violence,
etc.
did
the
people
in
this
chapter
discuss?
3. In
what
ways
did
the
people
quoted
in
this
chapter
respond
to
segregation?
4. Which
personal
account
did
you
find
most
interesting,
touching,
angering,
or
surprising?
Why?
5. Choose
one
quote
from
this
chapter
that
you
find
particularly
interesting
to
share
with
class.
Describe
why
you
chose
this
quote
and
provide
your
interpretation
of
it.
6. How
do
you
think
you
would
have
responded
to
segregation
if
you
were
living
in
the
1950s-‐1960s?
7. What
do
you
think
is
most
important
to
teach
your
classmates
about
this
chapter?
Who
else
needs
to
know
this
information
(meaning,
if
you
could
teach
anyone
else
outside
of
this
classroom,
who
would
you
teach
and
why)?
9
Name:
________________________________
Freedom’s
Children
–
Presentation
Notes
Chapter
What
I
learned…
Chapter
1:
The
Color
Bar:
Experiences
of
Segregation
Chapter
2:
The
Montgomery
Bus
Boycott
&
the
Beginning
of
the
Movement
Chapter
3:
Different
Classrooms:
Segregation
&
Integration
in
the
Schools
Chapter
4:
Sit-‐ins,
Freedom
Rides,
&
Other
Protests
Chapter
5:
The
Children’s
Crusade
Chapter
6:
The
Closed
Society:
Mississippi
&
Freedom
Summer
Chapter
7:
Bloody
Sunday
and
the
Selma
Movement
10
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
Stamps
11
