Mini-Unit Memphis 1968

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Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. marching arm in arm with a crowd of men participating in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike.

Mini-Unit

Memphis 1968

Lessons and resources help you explore the sanitation workers’ strike and other events that brought Dr. King to Memphis in the spring of 1968. This lesson is part of our partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum's MLK50 initiative.

Resources

Duration

One week

Subject

History
Social Studies

Grade

9–12

Language

English — US

Published

December 20, 2017

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Get everything you need including content from this page.

About This Mini-Unit
Lesson Plans

About This Mini-Unit

The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remains relevant 50 years after his assassination in 1968. The lessons and resources below help educators and community members explore the issues that Dr. King raised in Memphis and ask the question, "What is the role of civic engagement in a healthy democracy?"

Essential Question

What is the role of civic engagement in a healthy democracy?

About #MLK50

The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the historic Lorraine Motel, recognizes that the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination demands a significant commemoration. The museum, in conjunction with partner organizations and civil rights leaders across the country, will structure its events and activities to encourage others to continue the Civil Rights Movement while focusing on the theme, “MLK50 - Where Do We Go From Here.”

Link

National Civil Rights Museum

Lesson

Students examine the strategies of three key civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael march with a crowd of people behind them.

Lesson

Students learn about the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike and reflect on the relationship between identity, dignity, and community membership.

Lesson

Students analyze Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech and consider how they can respond to King's challenge to create a more just world.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands at a microphone giving a speech to a crowd.

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Three Visions for Achieving Equal Rights

Students examine the strategies of three key civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael.

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Students learn about the debate within the women’s rights movement over the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments.

Five black women officers sitting for a portrait

Lesson

Students explore some of the limitations of Reconstruction's transformation on US democracy and learn about groups who demanded that the promise of equality be made a reality.

Seated portrait of women's voting rights advocate Susan B. Anthony.

Lesson

Students learn about the responses to Johnson’s policies by Republicans in Congress and examine the fourteenth amendment that overturned Presidential Reconstruction.

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Lesson

Students reflect on the revolutionary changes that occurred because of the landmark legislation and amendments passed during the Reconstruction era.

A studio portrait shows African American members of the General Assembly from 1887 to 1888

Lesson

Students learn about the period of violence in the South from 1873-1876 and examine its role in influencing elections and ending Republican control of Southern state governments.

A picture of one hand holding down another hand on top of a gun and a pile of papers

Lesson

Students explore the legacies of the Reconstruction era today, reflect on the idea of democracy as a continuous process, and consider how they can best participate in the ongoing work of strengthening our democracy.

Demonstrators march down Pennsylvania Avenue with signs for Black Lives Matter

Lesson

Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction.

Black and white photo of the house committee

Lesson

Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople.

A drawn picture of people crowding into the Fourth National Bank

Lesson

Students explore the supporting question "How should we remember the nation’s founding?"

Washington DC, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Building Southwest Pavilion. The Library has had an ongoing exhibition entitled "Thomas Jefferson's Library", which presents the Library's efforts to completely recreate Thomas Jefferson's personal library. The exhibit is located on the Building's second floor in the Southwest Pavilion, called the Pavilion of the Discoverers due to the paintings and bas-reliefs that adorn the space.

Assessment

Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the US founding by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.

Collection

Explore resources that meet the California History–Social Science Framework standards.

Four students sit in a circle in conversation. The student in the center speaks with their hands raised.

Mini-Unit

Explore two pivotal moments in the Latinx rights movement in California: the East LA school walkouts and the first year of the Delano grape strike.

Dolores Huerta addresses the audience after the Delano grape march, State Capitol, Sacramento, California.

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Memphis 1968

Resources

Duration

Subject

Grade

Language

Published

Access all resources for free now.

About This Mini-Unit

Essential Question

About #MLK50

Materials

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The Struggle over Women’s Rights

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Political Violence and the Overthrow of Reconstruction

The Unfinished Revolution

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Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Resources for Civic Education in California

Latinx Rights in 1960s California

Memphis 1968

Resources

Duration

Subject

Grade

Language

Published

Access all resources for free now.

About This Mini-Unit

Essential Question

About #MLK50

Materials

Lesson Plans

Three Visions for Achieving Equal Rights

Memphis in 1968: The Sanitation Workers' Strike

Dr. King's Legacy and Choosing to Participate

Get this mini-unit in Google Drive!

You might also be interested in…

The Struggle over Women’s Rights

Equality for All

Radical Reconstruction and the Birth of Civil Rights

Expanding Democracy

Political Violence and the Overthrow of Reconstruction

The Unfinished Revolution

Backlash and the KKK

Shifting Public Opinion

Supporting Question 4: Memory of the Founding

Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Resources for Civic Education in California

Latinx Rights in 1960s California

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