How will these resources help you?

The civil rights movement is a significant part of both American and world history. After centuries of oppression, slavery and dehumanisation, Black Americans fought for their equal rights under the law in the United States. While the American Civil War ended slavery, it did not end discrimination and racism. The starting point in the fight for civil rights is difficult to determine, so the sources here focus on the early influencers in the civil rights movement, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells and Mary White Ovington. Their early work paved the way for the now more recognisable figures such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The sources cited may uncover uncomfortable truths about violence and discrimination, so you could discuss with students how the mistakes of the past should be heeded rather than perpetuated. Discuss enquiry questions such as: ‘How important was W.E.B. Du Bois’ role in the early years of the fight for civil rights?’, ‘How did mothers fight for what was right?’ and ‘How did acts of defiance change the course of history?’.