JOURNALS

Students should keep journals throughout this two-week unit and should be encouraged to write reflectively even when not given a specific assignment. Journal assignments related to the reading of primary documents should include two vocabulary words or identifications, two quotes that of particular interest to them, and two questions about what they've read. Of course, each teacher may come up with a different combination of journal components. The goal is have students read actively and to reflect on what they learn throughout the unit.

Having students share questions and thoughts from their journal entries can also be a good way of opening discussion at the beginning of class.

Journal #1 "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

Journal #2 Civil Rights Movement Identifications

Journal #3 Civil Rights Movement Timeline

Journal #4 "Beyond Vietnam"

Journal #5 Comparing Documents

WHAT IS A PRIMARY SOURCE?

Primary sources are materials based on direct observation or personal experience. Such sources provide the raw data and information upon which subsequent interpretations or studies are based. Documents such as speeches, diaries, court records, and interviews are considered primary documents.

Secondary sources, on the other hand, are produced after the event they describe. Such sources are often based on primary sources, offering interpretations or analysis of them. Some secondary sources not only analyze primary sources, but use them to argue a contention or to persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion.

Examples of secondary sources include: textbooks, encyclopedias, and books and articles that interpret or review research works.

For students who are being introduced to primary sources for the first time, write the following items on the board and have students identify them as primary or secondary:

Hairston, Maxine and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 4th ed. New York : HarperCollins College Publishers, 1996.

For students who are somewhat familiar with primary and secondary sources, provide them with the following examples:

I am researching Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and have found a microfilm article form the New York Times dated May 22, 1927, that describes his trip. Is this a primary source?
Yes, Since Lindbergh and many witnesses to this event are no longer living, this article describing his flight within the time that it happened would constitute a primary source.

I am researching the origin and development of the middle class in Europe and have found an article titled "The Middle Class in Europe" in the December 1995 issue of the Journal of Modern History. Is this a primary source?
No. The Journal of Modern History is a scholarly journal that publishes articles based on primary sources. You would need to find these sources and examine them yourself.

I am researching the slave population by gender of several Maryland counties in the year 1800 and have found census data on the Internet that give the total slave population, but no gender breakdown. Is this a primary source?
Yes. You have found a primary source, but you must look elsewhere for the Maryland census data that breaks down slaves by gender.

I am writing a report about the conviction and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage in 1953. I have just finished reading Louis Nizer's The Implosion Conspiracy, which was published in 1973. Is this a primary source?
No. While the book was published more than twenty years ago, it was not written at a time contemporary with the 1950s.

Craver, Kathleen. Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in History Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT TIMELINE

Have students choose ten events from the civil rights movement to place on a timeline between 1954-1968. Students may use a textbook, encyclopedia, or the African American Freedom Struggle Chronology on the King Papers Project website at www.kingpapers.org.

In addition to developing students' chronological thinking skills, students will develop a deeper understanding of the events on their timeline and will be responsible for sharing what they learned with the class. It should be emphasized that this activity is not just about placing events on a timeline but about understanding the relationship between the events that took place. Therefore, students should not randomly choose ten events but should focus on an issue or theme that's of specific interest to them (voting rights, education, King speeches, etc.).

Finally, teachers should stress that the African American freedom struggle began well before 1954 and continues today. The dates on this timeline are specific to the study of King and the civil rights movement and do not represent the historical spectrum of African Americans' struggle for freedom.

Have students present their timelines to the class, and have them explain the significance of at least one event on their timeline. Students should keep notes in their journals of all presentations, as some of the events may appear on the unit quiz.

COMPARING DOCUMENTS

Have students work in groups of 3-4, and give each group a copy of the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Have students think about how these documents relate to what they've learned about King and the civil rights movement. Students may use King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, as well as film notes and identifications. Students should find as many connections as they can between what King and the civil rights movement struggled for and the values promoted by the Bill of Rights and UDHR.

Example:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Police brutality during the Birmingham campaign (clubs, police dogs, pressure hoses, etc.)

FINAL ESSAY

This essay is an opportunity for students to apply what they've learned about King and the civil rights movement to a current social justice issue or to explore a specific component of King's philosophy in greater depth. Whatever option students choose, they should use King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and/or "Beyond Vietnam" (as well as other materials from the unit) to support their position.

Paper Option #1

Throughout this unit, we have examined primary source documents related to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Specifically, we have focused on King's philosophy of nonviolence and direct action. For your final essay, you will apply King's philosophy to a current social justice issue. This essay should be in your own words, but you should effectively use the King documents (and other unit materials) to support your argument.

Paper Option #2

Many people criticized King for his public opposition to the war in Vietnam, saying that he was hurting the cause of civil rights. King responded to these criticisms by stating, "Such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling." What was King's "commitment and calling," and why did he feel it necessary to speak out against the War? How might King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech be relevant today?

Paper Option #3

In "Beyond Vietnam" King states, "I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values." What is the revolution of values that King refers to? How is it applicable today?

Papers should be approximately 4 pages long.