June 10, 1966: Ben Chester White Murdered
Ben Chester White, caretaker on a farm, was brutally murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Natchez, Mississippi.
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Period: 1961–1974
People’s Movement: 1961 – 1974
Oct. 1, 1964: Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement was launched at UC–Berkeley.
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July 4, 1963: Clyde Kennard Died
Clyde Kennard (June 12, 1927–July 4, 1963) bravely and righteously tried to pursue higher education in Mississippi. He faced the fatal wrath of the state as a result of his efforts to challenge white supremacy.
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Sept. 16, 1968: Harrison High School Student Uprising
One third of the students at Harrison Technical High School staged a walkout to protest the lack of African American history classes, overcrowding and poor conditions, and more.
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May 5, 2010: Red Dress Day Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
A national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S).
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Sept. 21, 1968: New York High School Student Union Founded
During the racially-charged Ocean Hill-Brownsville teachers’ strike in New York City, nearly 200 teenagers from 25 high schools established the New York High School Student Union.
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Subversives: Stories from the Red Scare
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca.
In this mixer lesson, students meet 27 different targets of government harassment and repression to analyze why disparate individuals might have become targets of the same campaign, determining what kind of threat they posed in the view of the U.S. government.
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In this mixer lesson, students meet 27 different targets of government harassment and repression to analyze why disparate individuals might have become targets of the same campaign, determining what kind of threat they posed in the view of the U.S. government.
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World
Book — Non-fiction. By John Carlos and Dave Zirin. Foreword by Cornel West. 2011. 220 pages.
Written for grades 7+, this biography of John Carlos recounts his childhood, his legendary act of courage at the '68 Olympics, and the backlash.
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Written for grades 7+, this biography of John Carlos recounts his childhood, his legendary act of courage at the '68 Olympics, and the backlash.
Oct. 28, 1964: U.S. Officials Deny Bombing North Vietnam
U.S. officials denied any involvement in the bombing of North Vietnam.
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Oct. 29, 1969: Supreme Court Rules Schools Must Desegregate
The Supreme Court ruled that schools in the U.S. had to desegregate “immediately,” instead of the previous ruling of “with all deliberate speed.”
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SNCC Legacy Project Toolkits
Teaching Guides. By the SNCC Legacy Project. 2025.
Six toolkits that are free to download, each with primary documents, narrative history, photos, and discussion questions.
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Six toolkits that are free to download, each with primary documents, narrative history, photos, and discussion questions.
Women, Gays, and Other Voices of Resistance
Teaching Activity. By Jack Bareilles.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 19 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the emergence and legacy of the 1960s counterculture, as well as the movements it helped create.
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Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 19 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the emergence and legacy of the 1960s counterculture, as well as the movements it helped create.
June 24, 1973: UpStairs Lounge Massacre
The largest LGBTQ massacre in U.S. history (until the Orlando Massacre) occurred at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans.
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June 28, 1969: Stonewall Riots
Police arrived at the Stonewall Inn and arrested anyone found to be cross-dressing, resulting in mayhem and what are now referred to as the Stonewall Riots. This was a milestone in a long history of LGBTQ+ activism.
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July 4, 1965: First Annual Reminder Demonstration for Gay and Lesbian Rights
Gay and lesbian activists on the east coast protested in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia to demand equitable treatment and respect.
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“Riots,” Racism, and the Police: Students Explore a Century of Police Conduct and Racial Violence
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca.
Students explore three documents produced in the wake of three major episodes of racial violence (1919, 1967, 2014) to understand the long trajectory of police violence in Black communities.
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Students explore three documents produced in the wake of three major episodes of racial violence (1919, 1967, 2014) to understand the long trajectory of police violence in Black communities.
King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life of Struggle Outside the South
Book — Non-fiction. 2025. By Jeanne Theoharis. 400 pages.
Illustrates how King’s time in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — outside Dixie — was at the heart of his campaign for racial justice.
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Illustrates how King’s time in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — outside Dixie — was at the heart of his campaign for racial justice.
Aug. 28, 1963: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Hundreds of thousands of civil rights activists marched on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
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Nov. 17, 1961: Albany Movement
The Albany Movement engaged multiple civil rights organizations and students in the fight for desegregation and voting rights.
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A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages.
Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.
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Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.
The Politics of Children’s Literature: What’s Wrong with the Rosa Parks Myth
Article. By Herbert Kohl. Rethinking Schools.
A critical analysis that challenges the myths in children's books about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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A critical analysis that challenges the myths in children's books about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Walkout
Film. Produced by Moctesuma Esparza. 2006. 111 minutes.
Walkout tells the true story of the Chicano students of East L.A., who in 1968 staged several dramatic walkouts in their high schools to protest academic prejudice and dire school conditions.
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Walkout tells the true story of the Chicano students of East L.A., who in 1968 staged several dramatic walkouts in their high schools to protest academic prejudice and dire school conditions.
Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1985
Film. Produced by Henry Hampton. Blackside. 1987. 360 minutes.
Comprehensive documentary history of the Civil Rights Movement.
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Comprehensive documentary history of the Civil Rights Movement.
March 7, 1965: Bloody Sunday
To protest the police murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson and for voting rights, more than 600 people began a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery.
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Nov. 20, 1969: Alcatraz Occupation
Native Americans took over and held Alcatraz Island as Indian Land during the Alcatraz Occupation.
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