King wrote the 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' after he was arrested following demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama.
Kennedy became directly involved in Birmingham in May 1963, deciding to introduce a Civil Rights Act.
In August 1963, the March on Washington became one of the most famous moments of the movement with 250,000 protestors.
After the assassination of Kennedy in November 1963, many felt the civil rights movement began to slow down.
Freedom Summer aimed to increase voter registration in Mississippi, but their schools became targets of violent attacks.

Common misconception

After Martin Luther King's famous 'I have a dream' speech, the civil rights movement continued to progress until the Civil Rights Act was passed.

The assassination of President Kennedy stalled the momentum the movement had gained with the events in Birmingham, he was the president that many black American had put their hope in - and many feared their hope died with him.

Keywords

Direct action - the use of demonstrations or protests to achieve a goal, rather than negotiation
Freedom Schools - temporary schools set up in Mississippi to help overcome the inequalities in schooling

As the lesson covers a lot of content, the first two sections should create a sense of both fast-paced chaos and expectation as the civil rights movement reaches breaking (or making) point - you might even want to play part of King's famous speech!

Teacher tip

Content guidance

Contains depictions of discriminatory behaviour.
Contains conflict or violence.

Supervision

Adult supervision suggested.

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Match the keywords with their definitions

Correct Answer:enrol,to officially register as a student on a university course

to officially register as a student on a university course

Correct Answer:direct action,the use of demonstrations or protest to achieve a goal

the use of demonstrations or protest to achieve a goal

Correct Answer:integrated,groups with both black and white Americans

groups with both black and white Americans

Q2.

Which of the following groups came together to organise Freedom Rides?

Correct answer: CORE

NAACP

Correct answer: SNCC

Correct answer: SCLC

Q3.

In which year had the Supreme Court had ordered interstate bus terminals and stations to desegregate.

1955

1957

1959

Correct answer: 1960

Q4.

Which president supported the enrolment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi with federal troops.

President Johnson

President Eisenhower

Correct answer: President Kennedy

Q5.

Who were the first black students to enrol at the University of Alabama on 11th June 1963?

James Meredith

Correct answer: Vivan Malone

Correct answer: James Hood

Elizabeth Eckford

Q6.

is the act of signing up to be able to vote, which often involves meeting certain criteria.

Correct Answer: Voter registration, voter registration, registration, Registration

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Which two organisations launched the Birmingham campaign?

Correct answer: Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Correct answer: Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR)

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP)

Congress for Racial Equality (CORE)

Q2.

The temporary schools set up in Mississippi to help overcome the inequalities in schooling were known as .

Correct Answer: freedom schools, Freedom Schools

Q3.

What did Martin Luther King Jr write in April 1963?

Correct answer: Letter from Birmingham Jail

March on Washington for jobs and freedom plan

'I have a dream’ speech

Q4.

How many civil rights protestors were at the 'March on Washington' in August 1963?

Correct answer: 250 000

80 000

2 000

Q5.

What was organised in June 1964 to reignite the Civil Rights Movement following the assassination of President Kennedy?

Boycott Summer

Correct answer: Freedom Summer

Freedom Rides

Q6.

Which act was signed by President Johnson in 1964?

Brown v Topeka

Plessy v Fergusson

Correct answer: Civil Rights Act

Voting Rights Act

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