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“Voices”
Holly Blakely
In this lesson students will gain understanding of the actions taken during the Civil Rights Movement to obtain the Negro right to vote. Students will understand that the right to vote remains one of the most fundamental elements of democracy, and that Americans have both the right and the responsibility to vote for the issues they hold dear. Students will also analyze works of art, music, and poetry to identify the "voice" of black artists of the Civil Rights era.
- Mock election box and ballots
- Jar of jellybeans
- Computer(s) and Internet access
- Roessel, David. Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling, 2006
- Selma, Lord, Selma, DVD, directed by Charles Burnett (1999; Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2004.
- Materials for making the "Paper Bag Backpack" (see attachment)
- Magazines and newspapers for collage designs
- Virginia Historical Society. "I'm Too Young to Vote." Library of Congress. http://vahistorical.org/civilrights/100.htm .
- Hartford, Bruce. Images of a People's Movement. http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgband.htm .
- Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. "From Selma to Montgomery." http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/selma-mont.shtm.
- Teacher's Domain. "Sheyann Webb." http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/iml04/soc/ush/civil/webb/index.html.
- Alabama Department of Archives and History. Photos of Selma March. http://www.archives.state.al.us/cvl/cvl_rit1.html.
- American Radio Works. The Road From Selma. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/prestapes/c2.html.
- The National Archives. Voting Rights Act (1965). http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=100.
- Teacher's Domain. Movement Music Medley. http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/iml04/soc/ush/civil/music/index.html.
- Lawrence, Jacob. "Confrontation At the Bridge." Weisman Art Museum. http://www.weisman.umn.edu/exhibits/Lawrence/confront.html.
- Madison Arts Center. Romare Bearden in Black and White. http://users.aol.com/MenuBar/bearden/bearden.htm.
- Emerson Gallery at Hamilton College. Romare Bearden In Black and White. http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/3aa/3aa585.htm.
- Academy of American Poets. Langston Hughes. http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83.
- Election Assistance Commission. National Mail Voter Registration Form. http://www.eac.gov/docs/nvra.pdf.
90 minutes
5
Why is the right to vote important to Americans?
What obstacles did American blacks encounter in obtaining the right to vote? (Content specific)
Students will be asked to briefly respond in writing to the following questions:
- Some adults in the United States today do not exercise their right to vote in elections. Why do you think this is so? Is it important to vote? Should voting rights be limited to only certain Americans? Explain.
The teacher will provide an opportunity for students to have a mock election (i.e. class president, Student Council, etc.) with the use of paper and a ballot box. When the elected person has been named, the teacher will ask the following questions:
- Was this election conducted fairly?
- Did everyone in our class have a "voice" in this election?
- If ALL students in this classroom had not been allowed to vote, would it be possible to have elected a different person? Why might this be frustrating to the group that was left out? Why would it matter if they were left out?
- What could the students that were not allowed to vote most effectively do to obtain the right to vote in this classroom?
The teacher will explain that blacks in the southern states have not always had the right to vote, as they were often given ridiculous "Intelligence Tests" when attempting to register to vote. Whites did not have to take these "tests" to qualify. The teacher will display a jar of jellybeans while explaining how black men and women were sometimes asked to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar as an "intelligence test". Sometimes they were expected to recite the Declaration of Independence or perform in other ridiculous ways, just to be told they didn't qualify. Teacher will ask students to describe how they would feel if they had been expected to guess the number of jellybeans in the jar to qualify as a voter in our mock election.
BEFORE LESSON
The teacher will set the purpose for the lesson by explaining to students that before 1965 (regardless of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of 1868), black individuals, particularly in the South, did not really have the right to vote in elections, due to the fact that it was next to impossible for them to "qualify" as a registered voter. The teacher will inform students that they will be learning about the efforts made by many individuals to obtain the right to vote for African Americans, and that voting is not only a freedom that we have the right to exercise, but we also have the responsibility to "voice" our opinions and feelings by voting.
- Students will be given an opportunity to share their bell assignment responses.
DURING LESSON
Teaching Strategies:
- The teacher will display a photo of a black child demonstrating for the right to vote in the 1960's (found at http://www.vahistorical.org/civilrights/100.htm ). Teacher will ask students to determine what they think the "voice" of the photo is. Is demonstrating with signs an effective way to "voice" your beliefs? Does one have to speak to be heard? In what ways do people let their beliefs and feelings be known without actually speaking? Is violence necessary to "voice" your beliefs or feelings?
- The teacher will briefly describe the events of "Freedom Summer" of 1964, which were efforts to register more black voters in Mississippi. Photos may be found at http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgband2.htm .)
- Teacher and students will access the March from Selma story at http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/selma-mont.shtm . They will also view the Voting Rights timeline. Teacher will then show a video clip of the day's events by Cheyanne Webb, an 8-year-old girl that participated in this march. (http://teachersdomain.org/resources/iml04/soc/ush/civil/webb/index.html ) Photos of Selma March may be found at http://www.archives.state.al.us/cvl/cvl_rit1.html.
- Teacher will play audio clip of a portion of Lyndon B. Johnson's "We Shall Overcome" speech at http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/prestapes/c2.html and show a copy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 at http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=100 .
- Teacher will show a Movement Music Medley at http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/iml04/soc/ush/civil/music/index.html to show students how the marchers and civil rights workers used music to promote their cause. Music is another way people communicate their beliefs and feelings, so, in many ways, music has a "voice", as well. Volunteers will then identify their own favorite songs and describe how the songs make them feel and why they like the songs.
- Art also has a "voice". Two particular black artists that used their work to support the Civil Rights Movement were Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. Students will view Lawrence's "Confrontation at the Bridge" at http://www.weisman.umn.edu/exhibits/Lawrence/confront.html and discuss its "voice". Students will view Romare Bearden's "Projections" at http://users.aol.com/MenuBar/bearden/bearden.htm or at http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/3aa/3aa585.htm and discuss the "voice" of this collection. Teacher will ask: Do works of art have the same voice to all people? Is there only one correct interpretation of a work of art?
- Teacher will read aloud selected poems by Langston Hughes from Poetry for Young People by David Roessel (available from http://www.amazon.com/ ). Poems and biographical information may be found at http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83 . Teacher and students will discuss the "voice" of the poems and how they reflect the turbulent times of the 1960's.
AFTER LESSON
- Students will research to find out what steps have to be taken in order to become a registered voter in the United States today. They may view a current Voter Registration Application and information at http://www.eac.gov/docs/nvra.pdf .
- Students may view Disney's DVD/VHS "Selma, Lord, Selma" (available at http://www.amazon.com/ ), about the Sheyann Webb story. Students will then suppose they are young marchers in the Selma March. For homework they are to pack a paper bag backpack (see directions) with the following items:
- Something to protect you from the weather
- Something to care for your feet
- Something to keep up your courage
- Something to symbolize WHY you are marching
- Something to lift the spirits of people around you
- Something to help you remember this historic event
- Students may present their backpacks to their classmates on an assigned day.
- Students may design a work of collage, like Romare Bearden, using photos or clips from magazines or newspapers, to "voice" what they hold dear and to reflect their own culture. These may be displayed in the hallway for others to analyze and interpret.
- Students may further research and report on any of the people and/or events of this lesson.
- Students may make an alphabetical listing of Civil Rights figures, events, etc.
- Student may write and illustrate their own The Civil Rights Movement from A to Z books to share with younger students.
- Students may organize a Sixties Dance to include music and fashions from that era.
Written Response/Application/Extending: Students will write a letter to the adults in their households to remind them of the struggles African-Americans experienced in their efforts to gain the right to vote and that all Americans have the right and the responsibility to vote so they may have an American "voice".
Please note that the AFTER LESSON activities above are suggestions, all of which will not be completed in the 60-90 minute period
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