Civil Rights Movement

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/civil-rights-movement

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Civil Rights Movement known for?Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965
2. What is the key supreme court precedent challenged?Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) 'separate but equal'
3. What is the impact on subsequent movements?Inspired feminist, LGBTQ+, and other social justice movements globally
4. What was the Civil Rights Movement and why did it happen?It was a time when people fought for fairness because others were treated unfairly because of their skin color. It began after many years of unfair laws and was sparked by events like the Great Migration and World War II.
5. How did people protest without violence?They used nonviolent civil disobedience, such as boycotts, sit‑ins, and Freedom Rides, to show that unfair laws were wrong.

Systemic Oppression: Discrimination embedded within the laws, institutions, and practices of a society.
Nonviolent Civil Disobedience: The active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of governments.
Grassroots Organizing: Local efforts by ordinary people to bring about change, often independent of established political structures.