Placing Civil Rights in Time and Place

Route of civil rights freedom rides in 1961.The Civil Rights Movement typically refers to the decades of the 1950s and 1960s in United States history. However, many events, people, and organizations have influenced civil rights issues and legislation before and since this period. This story map attempts to provide students with a context for the Civil Rights Movement while exposing them to some racial injustices prior to the movement. These include the topics of Jim Crow, Pullman Railroad workers, Great Migration, and restrictive covenants.

The second main focus of the story map is the Civil Rights Movement itself. Students will explore several map tours that highlight people, events, and organizations instrumental in bringing about legislation for equal rights during the 1950s-1960s. People of interest include RRosa Parks being fingerprinted.osa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, the Little Rock Nine, Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, and Malcolm X. Events of interest include the Freedom Rides, Sit-ins, March on Washington, Montgomery Bus Boycotts, Brown vs. Board of Education, Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Organizations of interest include the NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, CORE, Black Panthers, and KKK.

Finally, the story map concludes with a brief exploration of current civil rights injustices in the Unites States including issues such as same-sex marriage, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements.

Student Materials

Teacher Materials