Martin Luther King and peaceful protest
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the impact of Martin Luther King's peaceful protest movements between 1963 and 1966.
Key learning points
- Major civil rights protests took place in Birmingham, Washington and Selma.
- Martin Luther King Jr hoped to pressure lawmakers into taking action on civil rights.
- The federal government passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
- King's Chicago Freedom Movement achieved little success.
Keywords
Disenfranchisement - when the right to vote is taken away from a group of people
Ghetto - an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live, especially a poor area
Common misconception
Martin Luther King wanted to avoid violent reactions from opponents of the Civil Rights Movement.
King stuck to peaceful protest but deliberately campaigned in locations like Birmingham where it was believed opponents were likely to react violently.
Teacher tip
At the end of task C, pupils could be asked to work in pairs to make their own conclusions on how successful peaceful protest was in the period between 1963 and 1966. Emphasis should be placed on what overall criteria for success is (i.e. prompting political response, long-term improvement, etc).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word: Direct action aimed to attract attention.
Q2.Identify the example which was not a form of direct action.
Q3.Who emerged as a civil rights leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
Q4.Write the missing region. The Freedom Riders travelled through the American during 1961.
Q5.Identify the outcomes which were not benefits of publicity for civil rights campaigners using direct action.
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. is when the right to vote (the franchise) is taken away from a group of people.
Q2.Which African American is often considered the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?
Q3.What type of protest was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s committed to?
Q4.In which Northern city did the leader of the Civil Rights Movement lead a freedom movement in 1966?
Q5.Why was a large-scale civil rights campaign staged in Birmingham in 1963?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Martin Luther King and peaceful protest, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Martin Luther King and peaceful protest, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.