Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Greensboro Lunch Counter"

Brown v. Board of Education: Achieving Equality Lesson

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:56:56 GMT

In this classroom activity, students will analyze political cartoons and letters to the editor in order to identify and analyze the range of reactions to the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision, and the ways in which the Court's mandates were enacted or blocked. Students will also be able to connect a more recent civil rights or education issue to the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education. This lesson is part of the online exhibition entitled Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education.

The Greensboro Lunch Counter and the Civil Rights Movement

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:25:52 GMT

This object-based learning activity revolves around the Greensboro, North Carolina lunch counter that was the site of a sit-in strike by four African-American students in 1960. Students will learn how the sit-in strike at the Woolworth's lunch counter sparked the widespread student activism that was at the heart of the Civil Rights movement. After exploring the lunch counter and its importance as a source of historical information, students will visit the forum section of the site to hear the Museum's curators and historians discuss the object and then use what they have learned to complete the Virtual Exhibit Activity.

This resource is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

Students Sit for Civil Rights Homepage

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:09:00 GMT

Students Sit for Civil Rights is an OurStory module that includes activities based on reading Freedom on the Menu, a work of children's literature about the Greensboro sit-ins that played an important role during the civil rights movement. OurStory is a series of modules designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of objects from the Museum's vast collections, quality children's literature, and engaging hands-on activities. Ideal for afterschool use, OurStory resources allow students to think critically, to be creative, and to achieve academic standards both in and out of the classroom.

Join the Student Sit-Ins Classroom Videos

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:05:19 GMT

In this series of five short videos, students can watch a museum theater presentation. During the presentation, a fictional composite character from 1960 is conducting a training session for people interested in joining a student sit-in to protest racial segregation. The student speaks about the recent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, and coaches members of the audience in the philosophy and tactics of non-violent direct action.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence Homepage

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:32:16 GMT

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of America's celebrated heroes for his use of nonviolent protest strategies during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring history together through children's literature, everyday objects, and hands-on activities. Focused around Martin's Big Words, an illustrated biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the module includes links to hands-on activities and a list of recommended readings for further exploration.

Youth Town Hall with the Greensboro Civil Rights Pioneers: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Woolworth Lunch Counter Student Sit-In (Lecture Video)

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:01:35 GMT

During this 98-minute archived webcast, hear three members of the Greensboro Four reflect on their experiences as nonviolent protesters during the civil rights movement. The three surviving members of the Greensboro Four, Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil participated in an oral history. Their bold action ignited student involvement in the Civil Rights Movement when they staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960.