Login to add Inquiry to Stack
This lesson is another building block that seeks to address the practice of nonviolent demonstration, one of the often misunderstood aspects of the civil rights movement. By drawing the distinction between nonviolence as a tactic versus a way of life, students will be able to grasp the usefulness of nonviolence as a tactic and the application of self-defense as an organizational necessity for personal security and SNCC’s coordination efforts.
What did nonviolence really mean during the Civil Rights Movement?
D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
Class begins with students analyzing the Greensboro Sit-In photo (Source A) and the Youth Leadership Conference announcement (Source B). Students are prompted to infer what type of student organization might emerge from this meeting, considering the historical context. Next, students are led through Source C to explore the origins of SNCC as a planned student wing of the SCLC, while highlighting the complex relationship between Dr. King and SNCC, including debates over the use of nonviolence. The lesson concludes by examining excerpts from Dr. King’s “Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom” alongside selected sections from the Teaching Hard History podcast, leading students to distinguish between nonviolence as a moral belief and as a method of direct action, and have them synthesize their understanding by completing a T-chart that compares these two perspectives.
COLLABORATE: In small groups, have students analyze Sources A, B, and C to evaluate the debates surrounding the establishment of SNCC as a separate organization from the SCLC.
DELIBERATE: As students analyze the application of nonviolence in Sources D and E, they should engage in a discussion or debate about the effectiveness of nonviolence as a tactic and the circumstances under which self-defense may be considered acceptable.
PRODUCE: Using Sources D and E, students will complete a T-chart of the distinctions between nonviolence as a tactical strategy and nonviolence as a guiding philosophy.
Source A: Greensboro Sit-In Photo, Library of Congress
Source B: “Call - Youth Leadership Conference,” Shaw University, April 1960
Source C: Video: Charles McDew Interview (45:00 - 50:00), Library of Congress
Source D: Speech: “Nonviolence: The Only Road To Freedom” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [excerpts]
Source E: Teaching Hard History Podcast with Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries: Reframing the Movement (Season 3, Episode #5) (choose segments from 02:00-3:00; 25:00-33:00), Learning for Justice
No data found.
No data found.