The life and work of Martin Luther King can be inspirational for those working for social justice, despite opponents who may distort the record of his concerns and actions. King's close ties with the Black Church, his opposition to the Vietnam War, and his work for international solidarity must not be frozen in history. (KH)

Asserts that the struggle against Black bondage in America opened a forum for women to address the linked issues of racial and sex equality and help liberate their nation from slavery. (Author/JM)

Discusses the Black struggle for equality, particularly in the post-World War II period, its influence on other American minorities, and its potential impact in international affairs. (DM)

Reviews a fascinating lesson plan designed to acquaint students with the methods and devices used to deny blacks the right to vote in the pre-Civil Rights era south. Students take the same test that Alabama required of resident blacks to vote. Includes a copy of the exceptionally difficult test. (MJP)

In early 1942, the "Pittsburgh Courier," the largest black newspaper in the United States, began its Double V campaign stressing the right of black workers to have equality at home when blacks were fighting inequality abroad. An examination of the campaign, however, reveals that it was dead by the end of the year, while substantial gains…

This curriculum, developed by a project titled "Highways into the Past, History, Organizing, and Power" (HIP-HOP), discusses the meaning of "race" in the United States and outlines the history of the civil rights movement. This resource begins with a unit that traces the concept of race as a social invention that reflects a social reality. The…

This teaching resource designed for use in the Detroit, Michigan public schools provides biographical and bibliographical information on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The booklet contains excerpts from Dr. King's speeches and texts of songs pertinent to Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement. Suggestions for classroom and school-wide activities to…

Two leading black newspapers were very outspoken during the black American's struggle for equality following the Civil War of the 1860s. The Chicago-based "Conservator" and "Appeal" actively encouraged blacks to enter the nationwide power struggle among warring interests on their own behalf, and on a cultural level they attempted to elevate the…

Presents a biographical profile of Robert Lloyd Smith, a black Texas legislator of the 1890's. Discusses Smith's philosophy of self-improvement and economic self-sufficiency; his relationship with Booker T. Washington; his involvement in legislation regarding black education, civil rights, and agriculture; and the problems he faced in being a…

Traces the history of the Black press in the United States from pre-Civil War abolitionist literature through the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Discusses both legal and nonofficial efforts to silence Black opinion through repression of the press. (GC)

Describes actions taken by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to challenge White dominance on the ballot for congressional seats in 1965. The challenge failed, for a number of reasons, but helped end an era of all-White political party domination and precipitated the growth of grass-roots political groups. (KH)

Describes the philosophical and political underpinnings of the Freedmen's Bureau, a Federal agency created after the Civil War to assist and protect freed Southern slaves. Argues that, despite some positive results, it exemplified the nation's ambivalence toward a free black community and only contributed to the further entrenchment of racial…

Presents an overview of the Highlander Folk School, a nontraditional educational setting in which participants learned how to challenge the racial problems of the South (such as segregation, discrimination, and racism). Describes the school's role in preparing black leaders for the Civil Rights movement and in promoting the participation of white…

Argues that the struggle for integration, though winnable, will be longer and more arduous than many had hoped; but that for Abernathy, there is still the dream and vision of a slightly earlier day, and the he can still elicit the euphoria that always went with it. (RJ)

The attitudes of youth in the middle of the 1990s are in often contrast with the those of Martin Luther King, Jr. This paper considers why so many young people have strayed from King's principles. An examination of periodical literature in the 1990s shows that King's family members are among the few voices that still praise his nonviolent methods,…