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This collection of primary resources and corresponding activities sheds light on the endurance of peaceful protesters in Montgomery, Ala., who overturned an unjust law.

The title “Before Rosa Parks” loosely links a number of lessons that address African-American women who were active in the fight for civil and human rights before the 1950s. This lesson highlights Susie King Taylor, the only black woman who wrote a narrative about her experiences working with soldiers during the Civil War.

The title “Before Rosa Parks” loosely links a number of lessons that discuss African-American women who were active in the fight for civil rights before the 1950s. This lesson highlights Ida B. Wells, who worked tirelessly for racial justice in the South, especially concerning lynching.

In this lesson, students will read a short biography of César Chávez—one of our nation’s greatest labor leaders. They will examine how much of the success attributed to Chávez was the result of the efforts of thousands of other people helping and supporting him. Students will learn about labor unions and reflect on how powerful it can be to speak up with others for change.

Most history textbooks include a section about Rosa Parks in the chapter on the modern civil rights movement. However, Parks is only one among many African-American women who have worked for equal rights and social justice. This series introduces four of those activists who may be unfamiliar to students.

This lesson centers on the invaluable work and activism of Bayard Rustin. Rustin was not only dedicated to orchestrating the civil rights movement; he was also one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest advisors, and the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

This lesson asks students to interrogate six historical documents that show differing opinions about the conflict in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.