New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Greensboro and the sit-in movement

I can explain the significance of the Greensboro sit-in.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Greensboro and the sit-in movement

I can explain the significance of the Greensboro sit-in.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Although many universities had segregated by 1960, many facilities used by students were still segregated.
  2. The Greensboro sit-in was organised by students.
  3. The sit-in was successful, and became another example of the effectiveness of non-violent direct action.
  4. The success of the sit-in led to the formation of SNCC.
  5. SNCC went on to play a leading role in the civil rights movement.

Keywords

  • Desegregate - to desegregate is to stop people being separated or kept apart by force (segregation)

  • Sit-in - to sit somewhere and refuse to move as a form of protest

  • Direct action - direct action is the use of demonstrations or protest to achieve a goal, rather than negotiation

  • Voter registration - voter registration is the act of signing up to be able to vote, which often involves meeting certain criteria

Common misconception

The civil rights movement was always co-ordinated and led by older men and women.

In the 1960s, there was a shift in the civil rights movement as students began to take a leading role in the fight against racial injustice.

You can use the cause of the sit-in to show how, by 1960, progress in the civil rights movement was not always as widespread as many hoped - in this case universities are desegregated but the facilities for students were still segregated.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who did Eisenhower send in to support the students at Little Rock High School?
state troops
the police
Correct answer: federal troops
Q2.
Which statement below best describes what was known as 'the lost year'?
Correct answer: When all of Little Rock's public high schools were closed for a year
When students in Little Rock boycotted the schools in the area
When the staff of Little Rock's public high schools boycotted the schools
Q3.
Which of the following organisations was involved in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954?
CORE
SNCC
SCLC
Correct answer: NAACP
Q4.
The name for the campaign to secure a victory over the Axis powers and a victory over segregation in American is the
Correct Answer: Double V Campaign, Double V, Double v campaign, double v campaign
Q5.
In which year was the brutal murder of Emmett Till?
1954
1956
Correct answer: 1955
Q6.
A is when people decide not to buy things from, use the services of, or take part in activities with a certain company or country to show they don't agree with something it's doing.
Correct Answer: boycott, Boycott

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box
Correct Answer:desegregate,to stop people being separated or kept apart by force

to stop people being separated or kept apart by force

Correct Answer:lynch,kill someone for an offence without trial, usually by an armed group

kill someone for an offence without trial, usually by an armed group

Correct Answer:segregate,When different groups of people are forcefully kept separate or apart

When different groups of people are forcefully kept separate or apart

Q2.
In which year was the Greensboro sit-in?
1954
1955
1956
Correct answer: 1960
Q3.
The Greensboro sit-in led to the formation of which organisation?
Correct answer: SNCC
SCLC
CORE
Q4.
Which organisation gave the SNCC $800 to help set up an organisation that would continue to support the desegregation of dining facilities across the USA.
CORE
NAACP
Correct answer: SCLC
Q5.
In which year were the Freedom Rides?
1956
1957
1960
Correct answer: 1961
Q6.
Which organisation did Stokely Carmichael join in the late 1960s?
SNCC
SCLC
Correct answer: Black Power

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