Henry A. Rhodes
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I.
Class discussion on “What are Civil Rights”
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II.
Analysis of Roosevelt’s Administration.
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A. Depression (Mood of the country).
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B. Patterns of discrimination that existed.
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1. ‘Jim Crow’ laws
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2. Segregation in public schools
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3. Transportation
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4. Housing
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5. Armed forces/defense industries
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6. Federal government employment
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C. The contribution of the New Deal to the Civil Rights Movement.
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D. Establishment of the Fair Employment Practice Commission.
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E. Major contributions of Roosevelt’s administration to Civil Rights.
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III.
Analysis of the Truman Administration
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A. Types of discrimination which existed.
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B. Civil Rights actions made by the Truman administration.
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1. Establishment of Committee on Government Contract Compliance
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2. Appointment of President’s Commission on Civil Rights
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3. Truman’s executive order banning segregation in the armed
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services
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C. Truman’s election in 1948-its significance.
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IV.
Analysis of the Eisenhower Administration.
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A. Types of discrimination which existed.
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B. Eisenhower’s attitude toward Civil Rights.
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C. Actions of Eisenhower’s administration.
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1. Completed desegregation of armed services
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2. Appointment of Negroes to important government positions.
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V.
Analysis of the Kennedy Administration.
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A. Restlessness of the American Negro in the 1960’s.
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B. The Civil Rights Movement: Its effect on the C.R.A. of 1964.
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C. Democratic Platform of 1960 as it relates to civil rights.
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D. Presidential Election of 1960: Its significance to the Civil Rights Movement.
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E. Kennedy’s approach to handling Civil Rights.
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1. Executive Orders
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2. Appointment of Blacks to major federal positions
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3. The importance of the vote in the Kennedy civil rights
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V.
Analysis of the Kennedy Administration
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E. Kennedy’s approach to handling Civil Rights
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3. strategy
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4. Factors which caused the Kennedy administration to change its civil rights’ strategy to include civil rights legislation.
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VI.
An Analysis of the Johnson Administration-its impact on civil rights and the C.R.A. of 1964.
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VII.
Major contributions of C.X.A. of 1964
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Strategies
Prior to beginning this unit on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a class discussion on what civil rights are should be conducted. Students should understand from this discussion that the major purpose of civil rights is to guarantee fair treatment to all citizens without distinction to one’s race, creed, color or sex.
After several students respond to what civil rights are, they should be told that their civil rights are contained in the 13th and 14th amendments of the Constitution and certain acts passed by Congress. Students should be given a copy of the 13th and 14th amendments to read. A brief discussion should insue concerning the civil rights guaranteed in these amendments.
Students should also realize that there are many types of civil rights, and that the C. R. A. of 1964 is an example of an act passed by Congress to guarantee certain civil rights.
After the introductory lesson, the analysis of the Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and the Johnson administrations along with the Civil Rights Movement on the enactment of the C. R. A. of 1964 should begin.
There are films, filmstrips and combination filmstrips and records that are available at the Audio Visual Department at Winchester School relating to this unit. There is a list of these audio visual materials found in the section that follows concerning resources for classroom use.
These films should be used to clarify the major topics found in the course outline. For example, the films, ‘Freedom Movement’ ‘I Have A Dream’, and ‘The Sixties’ should be shown when discussing the restlessness of the American Negro in the early 1960’s. A discussion period should follow each film.
In addition to using these films, students should read local, Black (example,
Amsterdam News)
and nationally renowned newspapers’ coverage of civil rights prior to and during the passage of the C. R. A. of 1964. This will give the students an idea of the attitude of the country toward civil rights at these times. The course outline should be used as a guide for focusing the student’s attention to the critical time periods involving civil rights.
At some point during the teaching of this unit an assignment should be given in which the students will interview public officials, parents, relatives and older friends who have lived during or participated in the civil rights movement of the early 1960’s. The questions to be asked during these interviews can be derived from a group discussion.
A taped interview with former Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall in charge of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department during the passage of the C. R. A. of 1964 will be available at the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute’s office. This tape should be used when covering the Kennedy approach to civil rights.
With the use of the suggested audio visual materials, newspapers, the taped interview with Burke Marshall and the lectures derived from the narrative of this unit, the students will not only have a better understanding of the C. R. A. of 1964 but also their civil rights.