Freedom Movements: From Marching To Militance

Freedom Movements:From Marching To Militance Aaron M. Johnson and Tyrone Weeks Connections to High School Since people of African descent were brought to North America, the Caribbean, and South America, they have resisted their enslavement and oppression. Accounts of the maroons in Jamaica, the Haitian Revolution, and the Stono and Nat Turner rebellions, among others, have documented Black people's resistance to their physical, social, and cultural repression. After the emancipation from enslavement in 1865, Black people in the United States continued to fight against that oppression when it emerged in other iterations (e.g., Black Codes, Jim Crow, and redlining). Black people formed coalitions of leaders and laypeople from every sector of society and spawned social movements that have helped to make the United States a more perfect union. Arts movements such as the Harlem Renaissance gave birth to the New Negro, who understood his/her rights from an academic point of view and began demanding political and economic power. Displays of solidarity came in the form of sit-ins, marches, and other physical protests. Nonviolent protests gave way to more militant movements such as the Black Power Movement, which rested on the foundation of activists like Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X who urged Black people to embrace their Africanness and protect their bodies, identities, property, and culture. The newest iteration of resistance to repression is the Black Lives Matter Movement, born out of Black people's resistance to police murder and police brutality. The people who led and continue to lead these movements are union leaders, religious leaders, political leaders, educators, athletes, and entertainers. These groups and individuals have inspired Black people to protest, vote, and work for social change. This lesson plan engages students to learn about the roots of the oppression of Black people and how we have resisted that oppression since the beginning. Although the context of these movements and the conditions that made them necessary can be understood and analyzed by middle school students, this lesson plan is geared more toward high school students. Goals of the Lesson Plan The goal of this lesson plan is to ground students in the nature of resistance against oppression. They will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and write about historical events in the United States that have caused people to stand up and start and lead social movements. Also, students will be able to identify why certain movements, their End Page 19 philosophies, and their approaches were necessary and appropriate for their time in history. National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Standards •. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts. •. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people's perspectives. •. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument. •. Critique the central arguments in secondary works of history on related topics in multiple media in terms of their historical accuracy. Essential Question How did the experiences of people of African descent from emancipation to the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the 1960s encourage them to resist oppression, rebel against unjust systems, and move toward liberation? Objectives •. At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify individuals and organizations who played roles in the Civil Rights Movement. •. Students will be able to explain why the struggle for equality intensified in the 1950s and 1960s. •. Students will be able to describe the significance of specific Black social movements. •. Students will be able to explain how the media was used to garner public support for policy change. Teacher Expectations • History ◦ Guide learners in practicing skills of historical analysis and interpretation, such as compare and contrast, differentiate between historical facts and interpretations, consider multiple perspectives, analyze cause and effect relationships, compare competing historical narratives, recognize the tentative nature of historical interpretations, and hypothesize the influence of the past ◦ Assist learners in acquiring knowledge of historical content in United States history in order to ask large and searching questions that compare patterns of continuity and change in the history and values of the many peoples who have contributed to the development of the continent...