Prompt #6: Black Militancy

Read document 6, the Black Panther Party Platform, and respond to this prompt.

PROMPT: You are a black individual living in the US in the 1960s; the police have harassed you, and you have seen friends killed by the police for no reason other than skin color. You have also worked for and seen the tremendous strides taken by MLK and the non-violent movement. Now the Black Panthers approach you to join them in feeding the poor of your community, educating your neighborhood kids and protecting them from police brutality, meeting violence with violence if need be. What is your decision and why?

Prompt #5: Freedom Summer

Go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_summer.html
Read the account of a "Freedom Summer" volunteer's experiences.

Prompt:

You are a student from Boston who volunteers to help register African Americans in the South to vote. You encounter violent opposition from many. You hear about the murder of three of your fellow volunteers: Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman & James Chancey. You wonder if you and your friends will face a similar fate. Why is what you are doing worth risking your life? Will you be successful? What do you think will happen?

Prompt #4: Sit-Ins

Read document #4, "The Movement" by Anne Moody.

PROMPT:

You are a member of the Sit-in Movement in Mississippi and you have been spit on, struck and assaulted for simply sitting at the lunch counter. How did you feel while planning these events knowing the violence you would face? How did you remain peaceful? Is it worth it? What are your reactions?

Prompt #3: Backlash against Desegregation

As you read about in Chapter 29.2, not everyone supported integration in schools. Read document #3, the excerpt from Gov. Ross Barnett's speech, and respond to this prompt as a person who was experiencing the civil rights movement firsthand.

PROMPT:

You have just watched the Governor’s speech justifying his refusal to allow James Meredith to attend Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi). What is your reaction to his arguments about integration? Is this a state issue? What do you think the federal government should do? What should the civil rights movement do about it?