One historian summarized the decade from 1954 to 1965 this way:
“This decade . . . saw more social change, more court decisions, and more legislation in the name of civil rights than any decade in our nation’s history. Those changes were forced by millions of Americans who, with a sense of service and justice, kept their eyes on the prize of freedom.” (Williams, page 287)
SAMPLE LESSON PLANS
LESSON ONE: Little Rock: Who Should Represent the Black Community? (Role Play)
Objectives:
1.
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To familiarize students with the sensitive issues of race in Southern communities in the 1950’s;
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2.
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To become more aware of strategies used by civil rights groups such as the NAACP and to get students to evaluate such strategies;
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3.
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To become familiar with interviewing techniques;
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4.
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To empathize with the students who were selected and to become aware of some of the sacrifices they were expected to make.
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Procedures:
1.
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This class period activity can take place either before or after students have seen the Little Rock film, Part One. Students selected should be given ROLE CARDS which instruct them how to act and what their responses will be to the questions asked in the interview (see SAMPLE ROLE CARDS, below). Some Candidates should be clearly inappropriate to the students in the classroom who are the SELECTION COMMITTEE, whose job it is to agree on five students to represent the black community (Explain that in Little Rock they actually picked nine, but to make it simpler, we will pick five)
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2.
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The NAACP “INTERVIEWERS” will have a list of Sample Questions to ask the different applicants. (see below). The INTERVIEWERS may also encourage members of the class, (The SELECTION COMMITTEE) to ask appropriate questions at their discretion. SELECTION COMMITTEE members should have a list of candidates and check whether they are acceptable or not, with a brief reason given.
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3.
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Following interviews of the CANDIDATES, discussion of each candidate follows between the INTERVIEWERS and the SELECTION COMMITTEE, with each person getting one vote. The CANDIDATES selected may want to make a comment about their commitment to a peaceful, successful year at Central High School.
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SAMPLE ROLE CARDS FOR STUDENT CANDIDATES
STUDENT ONE: You are very athletic, a junior, and have been a member of the varsity football, basketball and track teams. You are an average student. You like to date, have three or four girlfriends, and are popular with the rest of the students. You might have a hard time giving up sports. Your girlfriends are not in favor of your leaving the school to go to Central. You want to “show those whites” that black kids are just as good if not better than they are. They’d better not get on your nerves or they might be sorry!
STUDENT TWO: You are considered a quiet student. You get good grades and mind your own business. You work after school to help support your Mom and your younger sister. You admire Martin Luther King and what he stands for. You get better than average grades. You are a senior. People consider you responsible, you don’t like to fight, and are looking to going to Central to prove to whites that black kids can learn just as good, if not better than white kids.
STUDENT THREE: You have the gift of being able to make people laugh, whatever the situation. Your ability to tell jokes and funny stories attracts friends. You are friendly and “never met a guy I didn’t like.” You are a total optimist (look on the bright side of things) who believes strongly that people are basically good inside, they just need a chance to show it. You are a sophomore, but considered mature for your age, and are active in your church youth group. You are a “B” student.
STUDENT FOUR: You are someone who loves to gossip, tell stories and be “where the action is.” Your mouth sometimes gets you in trouble, because you have a tendency to exaggerate what you hear and have lost several friends because of this. You have been suspended from school three times for fighting. You don’t like to fight, but sometimes you just have to say what you think to people and don’t really care what they think back! You are a sophomore and a below average student.
STUDENT FIVE: You are outgoing and popular. You like to attend sports activities and are sports-minded, but do not play on a varsity team. You are a junior, active in clubs, especially the newspaper and literary magazine. Your grades are good. You hope to go to a good college, with whites and blacks. You believe that integration is important, and you have strong support from your parents. You are active in your church and sing in the choir.
STUDENT SIX: You are very clothes conscious. You have a part-time job at a clothing store which brings you in contact with many white people. You have learned how to wait on “certain” customers who are rude and impatient and be pleasant, in spite of the anger you may feel inside. You are a Junior; you have lots of friends, but leaving your friends wouldn’t bother you that much. Your grades are better than average. You have white friends in New York, where you spend your summers.
STUDENT SEVEN: You are a musician. You are into blues and jazz. You play the saxophone in the school band, and were elected Band President last year. You feel that a lot of whites imitate black music styles because they secretly want to be black. You would miss the band if you went to Central, plus you would find it difficult to make new friends. You were beaten up last year by a gang of whites and vowed to “get even” if it took you the rest of your life. You are a senior and want to go to an all-black college.
STUDENT EIGHT: You are a “straight A” student, class president in your junior year, and captain of the varsity basketball team. You feel that whites are inferior musically, athletically and intellectually. The reason blacks haven’t gotten ahead is because of discrimination and prejudice, not natural ability. You would work hard to convince whites that blacks are intelligent, normal, talented people. You wouldn’t mind making friends with a white kid. You believe you could “take it” if you had to, up to a certain point.
STUDENT NINE: You are an average student who enjoys the attention of members of the opposite sex. You like parties and dancing, are up on all the latest fads and fashions. Some consider you “boy crazy.” You like to stay out late on the weekends, and your parents are starting to worry about some of the kids you are hanging out with. You stopped going to church two years ago. You want to be a hairdresser, so you can keep up with “what’s happening.” You stayed back last year (ninth grade) due to poor grades.
STUDENT TEN: You are a good student with not much time to spare. You have an after-school job to help out your family and to save for college expenses. Your mother can’t work due to illness. Your father is a minister. You believe that in order for blacks to achieve they must work hard and earn respect from the whites. Nothing comes free. You do not like violence, and have walked away from fights, although you beat up a bully for picking on your little sister. You are a junior and well-liked by most kids.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
To be asked by Interviewers from the NAACP: (Not a complete list)
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What year in school are you? What kinds of grades do you get?
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2.
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Tell us a little about yourself and what kind of family you come from (answers will vary).
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3.
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What would you miss most about not being able to go to the all-black school you are currently enrolled in? Would you be able to adjust successfully without your friends and mostly whites in the school?
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4.
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What is your general attitude toward whites? How do you think you would respond if a white student insulted you, made fun of you or tried to push you around?
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5.
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Why do you want to be one of the students to go to Central High School next fall, knowing full well that you probably will not be eligible for any extra-curricular activities, such as band, chorus and athletics?
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NOTE: In preparation for this activity, students could write their own questions of the candidates, and make a list of possible “qualifications” that student candidates should display in order to be chosen.
LESSON TWO: Little Rock: Press Interviews with Eyewitnesses on Monday, September 23, 1957
Objectives
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To recreate an historical situation, e.g., the first day of “school” for the Little Rock Nine;
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2.
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To explore attitudes of different individuals who played a role in this situation;
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3.
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To understand the courage necessary to stand up to injustice and racism.
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Procedures
1.
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This role-play activity is similar to Lesson One. The activity can take place either before or after students watch the film, although it is intended to be carried out after the film, as a reinforcement activity, and as a way for students to express some of their emotions in an acceptable way.
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2.
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Student volunteers will be given a ROLE CARD with a prepared statement to read. Participants will be asked to read what’s on the card, one at a time. A MODERATOR (the teacher or another student) will then direct the conversation so that each one gets an opportunity to “confront” others on the panel. The Activity is over when everyone has had a chance to bring out their feelings about what happened.
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3.
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If there is time and interest, students from the class should be encouraged to ask questions and comment on what the Panel Members say.
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PANEL MEMBERS’ ROLE CARDS
DAISY BATES, NAACP DIRECTOR. I remember driving several of the children to the school, one of two drivers that day. They had all arrived at my home at 8 o’clock. We listened to the radio in my living room, as they broadcasted sidewalk interviews of people stationed outside Central High School. One man said, “Just let those niggers show up! Just let ‘em try!” The two parents who stayed with the children were nervous, and I could see them praying silently with bowed heads. Then the police called and told us to meet them near the school and they would escort the children in through a side entrance. The newsmen left for the school. When we got to the school, I got out of the car and told the children to move quickly. The mob was in front of the school, away from us. The police escorted them through the side door of the school. They were in! They were in! They made it! Thank God, they made it.
MISTER ECKFORD, FATHER OF ONE OF THE LITTLE ROCK NINE. I was very nervous driving my daughter, Elizabeth to Mrs. Bates house. You remember that Elizabeth was attacked on September 3 when she got separated from the other eight children. There was a mob around her, yelling “lynch her, lynch her!” A reporter got her to sit down on a bus stop bench, then a white woman came and got on the bus with Elizabeth. If it hadn’t been for her, they might have killed my daughter! No wonder I was a little nervous three weeks later. And the national guard, they never even tried to help her. No sir! She was fortunate to escape with her life. And now, here we are again. Still no real guarantee of protection. How can a few police and guards protect these children from a mob of five or six hundred? I just don’t know where it will all end.
MAYOR WOODROW MANN, MAYOR OF LITTLE ROCK. I personally resent the way that the Governor of our state, Orval Faubus, is using our city as a pawn in his little chess game to make an appeal to all the racist voters of the state. His move to call in troops to actually prevent the black students from entering Central High School is a direct violation of federal law under the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court. These helpless children are at the mercy of the mob. And the Governor is acting completely irresponsibly by refusing to order the National Guard to protect the black students. What is he waiting for—someone to get killed? No decent person is safe under these conditions. I believe the only safe way is for President Eisenhower to send in Federal troops. The state troops, under our Governor will only make matters worse. This situation has gotten totally out of hand.
JUDGE RONALD N. DAVIES, U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE. I presided over the hearing to decide whether the Governor of Arkansas, has the right to use the State National Guard to prevent the Negro students from entering Central High School. What amazed me was in the middle of the hearing, the Governor’s attorneys took their legal documents and left the court. I thought I had seen everything in a courtroom, but this was a shocker! After hearing the evidence, I decided to grant an injunction which stopped the Governor from using National Guard troops to interfere with integration at Central High School. That very night, the Governor came on tv and said he was obeying the court order, but he also appealed to the Negro community to stay away from Central High until school integration could be accomplished without violence. This man has no respect for the law that I can see.
JIMMY HICKS, REPORTER FOR THE AMSTERDAM NEWS. The morning of September 23 was full of memories for me. After leaving Mrs. Bates house, I rushed to the school, to the side entrance where Mrs. Bates told us the kids would be entering. We got there about five minutes before the nine students did, and it’s a good thing for them. The mob saw the four of us, all Negroes, approaching the school and started yelling at us. “Get the niggers. Get ‘em!” About a thousand folk blocked the streets. One big burly guy swung at my head. I ducked. The blow landed on my shoulder, spinning me around. I ran between two parked cars where they couldn’t see me. Two men jumped on top of Earl Davy. Others were kicking and beating him while the two held him. They smashed his press camera on the sidewalk. Several men jumped on Alex Wilson, knocking him to the ground and kicking him in the stomach. They were really starting to get out of hand, when someone yelled, “Come on, the nigger kids are in the school!” The mob then stopped beating us and ran toward the school like a pack of wild animals. That was our chance. We got the heck out of there as fast as we could. But you know, during all that beating, Alex never let go of his hat!
SOURCE: Bates, pages 69-71, 77-78, 93, 82-84, 90-92.
NOTE: If desired, the teacher can add others to the panel, such as police officers who escorted the black students into Central; some of the students themselves, black and white; onlookers, etc.
LESSON THREE: Central High School Student Council Meeting, 1958
Objectives:
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To bring out some of the grievances by students, black and white, who attended Central High during the 1957-1958 school year;
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2.
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To empathize with students, black and white, who face unfairness, and look for alternatives to change such situations.
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Procedures
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This role-play is somewhat freewheeling, as compared to either Lessons One and Two. Student Participants are given a situation or incident to describe and others, in character, are supposed to respond, these incidents are written on a SITUATION CARD. A MODERATOR, or Student Council President, calls on individuals to explain their situation to the others, who are expected to discuss the incident and offer suggestions. Remember that time is limited, so the MODERATOR needs to move things along.
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The entire class is the Student Council, with perhaps one student chosen as Secretary, who should record Situations and any Recommendations to the Principal.
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SAMPLE SITUATION CARDS
SITUATION ONE: Student was originally assigned to a homeroom with a friend in order to make it easier for her. After the second marking period, her homeroom teacher insisted she be placed in a different homeroom, which was all-white. The student objected, saying she was too scared. It was hard enough having just one friend; with no one else there to befriend her, she knew she would be picked on and teased. She wants to stay where she is.
SITUATION TWO: Student received harassing phone calls at night. One night, she was told that boys were coming to school with squirt guns loaded with acid. She was warned to stay home. The next day, the student was chased down the hall, after having her new dress squirted with ink, ruining the dress. At the end of the hallway, a boy faced her with a water pistol aimed at her face. Terrified, she closed her eyes tight. The liquid hit her face and she heard the boy running down the hall. It took several moments for her to convince herself that the liquid was only water. She knows who the boys are and thinks they should pay for the dress and be suspended.
SITUATION THREE: Student reports of being tripped and hit by students when teachers and Guardsmen aren’t looking. Once he even got spit at in the face. When things are witnessed by teachers, usually something is done; but often there is no teacher or Guardsman around, like outside after lunch or in gym class, or in the bathroom. Can more protection be given?
SITUATION FOUR: Student wants to join after-school activities and clubs that are strictly white-only. When the music teacher recommended this student for after-school Chorus that sings at other schools, the white parents complained bitterly to the Principal. It’s unfair for us not to have extra-curricular activities like we used to have at our other all-black high school. This is part of school, too, isn’t it?
NOTE: Other discriminatory situations, such as not being able to attend school dances, play on athletic teams, etc., can be brought out. Also, complaints that some teachers aren’t being fair in grading or ignoring the way white students treat them in class, etc. Obviously, even though each student was assigned his/her own Guardsman, there were times when violence, certainly the threat of violence occurred. It should be noted from the film that Minijean Brown, one of the Little Rock Nine, a junior, was suspended from Central after she dumped her lunch tray on the heads of two boys who had been harassing her. After a second suspension and repeated incidents, she was finally expelled for another lunchroom incident. She completed her high school education at New Lincoln High School in New York City. (Bates, pages 116-122)