Civil Rights Movement – Self-Determination

During a unit on the Civil Rights era, I would introduce the Sit-In Movement, a means of peaceful protest in which people would sit quietly in “whites-only” establishments in opposition of racial segregation. Abraham Lincoln’s quote about self-determination would fit perfectly with this lesson. I would guide students in a rich discussion about the ways in which these sit-ins truly did control and predict the future of America.

Level: Elementary or Secondary Social Studies

Subject Area: U.S. and World History

Author: Tiffany Heitman