Selma March – Civil Disobedience

The March from Selma to Montgomery was one of the seminal events in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, due in large part to its successful use of civil disobedience as a form of protest. The Henry David Thoreau conversation would work nicely just before studying this event because it would get the kids thinking about the meaning of freedom and when it is acceptable to use one’s freedom to disobey unjust laws. After studying Selma, I could have the kids study another event of the Movement and apply what they learned during the conversation.

Level: Secondary social studies

Subject Area: American history, government

Author:  Dan Fouts