Oct. 30, 1959: Luther Jackson Murdered
Luther Jackson was murdered by Philadelphia, Mississippi policeman Lawrence Rainey.
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Period: 1945–1960
Cold War: 1945 – 1960
Our Grandparents’ Civil Rights Era: Family Letters Bring History to Life
Teaching Activity. By Willow McCormick. Rethinking Schools. 7 pages.
An elementary school teacher connects the Civil Rights Movement to students’ family history by asking their grandparents to share their memories of the Movement.
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An elementary school teacher connects the Civil Rights Movement to students’ family history by asking their grandparents to share their memories of the Movement.
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Picture book. By Dee Romito. Illustrated by Laura Freeman. 2018. 40 pages.
The story of Georgia Gilmore and the Club from Nowhere, a grassroots project to provide food and funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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The story of Georgia Gilmore and the Club from Nowhere, a grassroots project to provide food and funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South
Book — Non-fiction (with CD). Edited by William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins and Robert Korstad. 2008. 346 pages.
Extensive oral history of African American life under segregation.
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Extensive oral history of African American life under segregation.
Salt of the Earth: Grounds Students in Hope
Teaching Activity. By S. J. Childs. Rethinking Schools. 6 pages.
The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film, Salt of the Earth, about a miners’ strike in New Mexico.
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The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film, Salt of the Earth, about a miners’ strike in New Mexico.
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
Picture book. By Duncan Tonatiuh. 2014. 40 pages.
Upper elementary school picture-book about the Mendez v. Westminster case to desegregate California schools.
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Upper elementary school picture-book about the Mendez v. Westminster case to desegregate California schools.
Separate No More: The Long Road to Brown v. Board of Education
Book — Non-fiction. By Lawrence Goldstone. 2021.
A portrait of the road to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.
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A portrait of the road to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.
Sept. 2, 1945: Vietnam Declared Independence from France
Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of Vietnam from France.
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Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America’s Struggle for Equality
Book — Non-fiction. By Richard Kluger. 2004. 880 pages.
One of the first texts, now a classic, on Brown v. Board of Education.
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One of the first texts, now a classic, on Brown v. Board of Education.
Teaching the “American War” 75 Years After Vietnamese Independence
Here are resources to help students probe the roots of U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the impact of the Vietnam War — which the Vietnamese rightly call “The American War” — and resistance to the war.
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The Admirable Radical: Staughton Lynd and Cold War Dissent, 1945–1970
Book — Non-fiction. By Carl Mirra. Foreword by Howard Zinn. 2010. 240 pages.
Story of Staughton Lynd, one of the most visible figures of the New Left, from 1945-1970.
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Story of Staughton Lynd, one of the most visible figures of the New Left, from 1945-1970.
The Bomb
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2010. 100 pages.
Zinn's personal reflections and political analysis on the WWII bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Royan, and more.
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Zinn's personal reflections and political analysis on the WWII bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Royan, and more.
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore
Picture book. By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2015. 32 pages.
Tells the story of Lewis Michaux Sr.'s Harlem bookstore that was a center of African American history, scholarship, debate, and activism, for grades 2-5.
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Tells the story of Lewis Michaux Sr.'s Harlem bookstore that was a center of African American history, scholarship, debate, and activism, for grades 2-5.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Book — Non-fiction. By Richard Rothstein. 2017. 368 pages.
A history of the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments that promoted racial segregation.
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A history of the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments that promoted racial segregation.
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Book — Non-fiction. By Jeanne Theoharis. 2013. 320 pages.
A revealing window into Rosa Parks’ politics and years of activism.
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A revealing window into Rosa Parks’ politics and years of activism.
The Southern Mystique
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 1964.
In one of his earliest published works, Howard Zinn writes about his experiences teaching and organizing with the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
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In one of his earliest published works, Howard Zinn writes about his experiences teaching and organizing with the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
The Untold History of the United States DVD
Film. By Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick. 2014. 4 discs – 796 minutes.
TV series that re-examines various under-reported events of U.S. history since World War II.
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TV series that re-examines various under-reported events of U.S. history since World War II.
The Untold History of the United States: Young Readers Editions, Vols 1 (1898-1945) & 2 (1945-1962)
Book — Non-fiction. By Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick. Adapted by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Eric S. Singer. Vol 1. 2014. 400 pages. Vol 2. 2019. 320 pages.
These are two volumes of illustrated histories, adapted for students from a documentary book and film of the same name.
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These are two volumes of illustrated histories, adapted for students from a documentary book and film of the same name.
The Vietnam Wars: 1945-1990
Book — Non-fiction. By Marilyn B. Young. 1991. 448 pages.
A detailed history of the Vietnam War.
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A detailed history of the Vietnam War.
This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Leslie G. Kelen. 2012. 256 pages.
Presents the Civil Rights Movement through the work of nine activist photographers who lived within the movement and documented its activities by focusing on the student activists and local people who together made it happen.
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Presents the Civil Rights Movement through the work of nine activist photographers who lived within the movement and documented its activities by focusing on the student activists and local people who together made it happen.
Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington
Book — Non-fiction. By Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, and Michael G. Long. 2019. 168 pages.
A biography of antiwar and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
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A biography of antiwar and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
Vietnam: An Antiwar Comic Book
Book — Non-fiction. By Julian Bond and illustrated by T. G. Lewis. 1967. 19 pages.
This "graphic novel" from the 1960s was written to provide a critical analysis of the Vietnam War in an easy to read format.
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This "graphic novel" from the 1960s was written to provide a critical analysis of the Vietnam War in an easy to read format.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer
Picture book. By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. 2015. 45 pages.
Illustrated biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, activist for voting and economic rights from Mississippi.
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Illustrated biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, activist for voting and economic rights from Mississippi.
Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s
Book — Non-fiction. Henry Hampton and Steve Fayer. 1991. 692 pages.
Oral histories of the Civil Rights Movement spanning three decades.
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Oral histories of the Civil Rights Movement spanning three decades.
W. E. B. Du Bois to Coretta Scott King: The Untold History of the Movement to Ban the Bomb
By Vincent Intondi
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When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. announced his strong opposition to the war in Vietnam, the media attacked him for straying outside of his civil rights mandate. In so many words, powerful interests told him: “Mind your own business.” In fact, African American leaders have long been concerned with broad issues of peace and justice — and have especially opposed nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, this activism is left out of mainstream corporate-produced history textbooks.