Warm-Up Activity:
Have students read and discuss the short story, "Liars
Don't Qualify," (pdf)
by Junius Edwards. Students should also complete the
"Liars Don't Qualify" Worksheet (pdf).
Activity One: Registering to Vote
To help students understand the difficulty faced by African
Americans when attempting to become registered voters
prior to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, have
them participate in this experiential voter registration
activity. First, explain to the students that literacy
tests were used in Alabama and six other states to prevent
blacks from voting. White citizens were not required to
take the test in order to register. Next, have each student
complete the voter registration form (pdf)
and take the literacy test (pdf).
The teacher will serve as the registrar and will determine
who is "qualified" to vote. Set a time limit
for completing the test in order to leave time for students
to discuss the experience. Determine which students qualify
to vote and allow students to discuss their reactions
to the requirements.
At the end of the 1950s, seven Southern states (Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Virginia) used tests, while five states
(Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia)
used poll taxes to prevent blacks from registering.
In Alabama, voters had to provide written answers to
a twenty-page test on the Constitution and on state
and local government. Questions included: "Where
do presidential electors cast ballots for president?"
And "Name the rights a person has after he has
been indicted by a grand jury." The Civil Rights
Act of 1957 allowed the Justice Department to seek injunctions
and file suits in voting rights cases, but it only increased
black voter registrations by 200,000.
Activity Two: Document Analysis
Ask students to work in groups, with each group analyzing
one of several key documents relevant to the voting
rights struggle and using the Document Analysis Worksheet
to guide its work. When the groups have completed the
exercise, have them present their work to the entire
class. Because each group will have a different document,
you may also want to use the Cooperative Literacy Worksheet
as a tool for reporting the group's findings.
Suggested Resources for This Activity:
Excerpts from the Inaugural of George C. Wallace (pdf)
Boswell Amendment (pdf)
Williams v. Wallace (pdf)
Civil Rights Act of 1964 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1964_civil_rights_act.htm
Voting Rights Act of 1965 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1965_voting_rights_act.htm
Memos of Joseph Califano, special assistant to President
Johnson, with transcriptions
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/selma-ltr05.htm
Letter from a Selma City Jail (pdf)
Notable Quotes (pdf)
Editorial comments on Bloody Sunday (pdf)
Document Analysis Worksheet (pdf)
Cooperative Literacy Worksheet (pdf)
Activity Three: Mapping Change
- Ask the students to work as a class to analyze data
on the 1962 map of Alabama counties showing the disparity
in the numbers of black and white voters prior to
the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Link to map: http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson5/doc1.html
Have the students answer the following questions:
Which county had the lowest number of African American
voters?
Which county had the highest number of African American
voters?
Which counties, based on the data reported and what
you have learned, had no African American voters?
- Following the class discussion, distribute copies
of the Birmingham News articles published
in October and November, 1966 to each student.
Links to articles:
Birmingham News article, October 2, 1966,
showing number of voters by county in 1966: http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson5/doc2.html
Birmingham News article, November 6, 1966, with information
on increase in number of black voters by county: http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson5/doc3.html
Project the blank map of Alabama counties and ask
students to enter the data from the November article.
Link to map: http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/mapact.html
Then ask them to answer the following questions:
Which county had the greatest increase of African
American voters?
Which county experienced little or no measurable
change?
What do you think accounted for any drastic changes?
What do you think accounted for any lack of change?
-
Next, project the data from the Gilder Lehrman
Learning Tools page (pdf):
“Interpreting Statistics: The Civil Rights
Revolution.”
- Have the students answer the "Questions to
Think About” from the Learning Tools page. Questions
to Think About:
1. Examine the origins of the struggles of blacks,
students, and women for equal rights. What factors
contributed to growing radicalization of these groups
during the 1960s?
2. Which strategy--court battles, nonviolent protest,
or violent confrontation--was most effective in bringing
about social change?
3. What do you think was the major goal of the struggles
of blacks, students, and women for equal rights--a
transformation of American society or equal participation
within the existing order?
Ask students to write one paragraph summarizing the
significance of the data for the election process
and for the impact of the 1965 Voting Rights Act on
the United States.
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