America in the 20th Century

Gr 9 Up—Photos, drawings, video clips, and audio files are supplemented by narration for each of the 11 chapters of this introduction to the civil rights movement. The first segment covers the emancipation of slaves in the southern states through the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case. The subsequent episodes present the events leading to Brown v. Board of Education, the Montgomery bus boycott, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, freedom rides, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the rise of "Black Power," and much more. Clips of speeches and tapes of presidential conversations reveal the passion and controversy of the times. The palpable emotion of the civil rights movement can be seen and heard in the newsreel footage of the marches, riots, sit-ins, and speeches. This program will help students understand a very complex issue in our American experience. The chapter selection option makes the production an easy and excellent way to introduce units of study in African-American studies or U.S. history classes.—Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep., San Jose, CA