The 2020 National Youth Summit was centered on the case study of Claudette Colvin—a 15-year-old Black student in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus and testified in the legal case that brought an end to segregated busing in Montgomery. Check out videos, lesson plans and primary resources from this event.

This set of Library of Congress primary sources explores systems of racial segregation in the U.S. and the efforts of African American civil rights movements to end them.

This set of Library of Congress primary sources explores the ideas, individuals, and debates that shaped the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

Sending a letter to elected officials can be a powerful and personal way to ensure the public’s voice is represented in politics, but just how do you get in contact with your representatives? Using primary and secondary sources, this collection explores the power of letters, highlights social justice letters throughout history, and examines activist covers–envelopes–and postage stamps for a cause from the National Postal Museum’s collection. Using all of these objects as inspiration, users are encouraged to select a cause of personal concern to them, and send their own letters to elected officials.

On February 1, 1960, four African American college students challenged racial segregation by sitting down at a “whites only” counter lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. Politely asking for service, their request was refused. When asked to leave, they remained in their seats. Their sit-in inspired others to engage in nonviolent protests, which drew attention to the inequalities in civil rights at the time. This suite of resources provides strategies to explore this history, the Civil Rights Movement and the power of nonviolent protest.

This deliberative discussion guide engages students in a conversation about the difficult choices citizens had to weigh during the Civil Rights movement. By examining multiple approaches from the movement, students will better understand the diversity of views within the Civil Rights Movement and understand the challenges of civic engagement.

Students will examine arguments concerning the role of the government during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This lesson looks at the intersection between constitutional principles and the struggle for equality during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

African American women played a significant and sometimes overlooked role in the struggle to gain the vote. This Learning Resource is a collaboration between New American History and Retro Report, producers of “How Black Women Fought Racism and Sexism for the Right to Vote,” on PBS.

Lesson 6 of a collection of lessons written for Black History Month using the power of non-violence as a theme. The lesson continues the theme of nonviolence by exploring ways in which music helped advance the civil rights movement.

Lesson 2 of a collection of lessons written for Black History Month using the power of non-violence as a theme. This lesson uses primary sources and stories of participants in the civil rights movement to introduce students to the concept of nonviolence.

Lesson 1 of a collection of lessons written for Black History Month using the power of non-violence as a theme. This lesson introduces students to the Children’s March, also commonly referred to as the Children’s Crusade, which took place in Birmingham, Alabama, in May 1963.

In this lesson, students consider young people’s rationales for participating in civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and the risks and rewards of their inclusion.

This lesson explores how the government balances individual liberties and the needs of the nation during times of crisis.

A documents-based exploration of Reconstruction in the American South, with guiding essay questions, documents representing different and often conflicting views on the same issue, and full audio recordings of all documents.

A curated collection of documents, documents-based resources and programs, lesson plans, and discussion questions related to the Civil Rights Movements of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Intended for teachers who are eager to get started using original documents, but are unsure of where to start.

Some historians have characterized Progressive reformers as generous and helpful. Others describe the reformers as condescending elitists who tried to force immigrants to accept Christianity and American identities. In this structured academic controversy, students read documents written by reformers and by an immigrant to investigate American attitudes during the Progressive Era.

Lewis Hine shot hundreds of photographs that exposed the working conditions facing thousands of child laborers in the first two decades of the twentieth century. His powerful images shed light on a world largely hidden from most middle-class Americans and influenced public debate about child labor laws. This lesson asks students to think critically about Hine’s photographs and their usefulness as evidence of the past.

In the decades prior to the Civil War, some early African American newspapers began to circulate. In this lesson, students examine articles, advertisements and an editorial from the newspaper Freedom’s Journal, to consider the events and challenges that influenced daily life for free African Americans living in Northern states and to answer the historical question: What was the purpose of Freedom’s Journal?

This case pack includes a case summary, three primary source analysis activities, and an essential question for Dred Scott v. Sandford.

This lesson uses primary source analysis to explore the evolving interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Are the tactics used by suffragists to fight for political power still effective? This video series explores four techniques that suffragists used to reshape the nation’s democracy: protesting, organizing, branding, and lobbying.

This deliberation guide focuses on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, encouraging students to examine the choices the Californio Indigenous people faced in June 1849 as they determined how they would approach, or avoid, a future as American citizens.

This collection of historical biographies tells the story of civic leaders through the lens of the DKP’s 10 Questions for Changemakers.

 In this lesson, students consider the impact of the poll tax as a barrier to voting by examining four primary sources.

Students examine the historic contribution of young people in shaping positive changes in America, then identify characteristics of collaboration and creating coalitions in order to build their understanding of civic community.

Students explore the experiences of Mexican-American farmworkers in the United States and learn about how they – especially through the leadership of Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers – worked with others for improvements in pay and working conditions, as well as respect for their civil rights. Students analyze primary sources and then complete a writing assignment to reflect on working with others to help solve a problem.

60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government. The daily podcast is accompanied by a quiz question.

For young white students, explorations of fair and unfair, just and unjust, can go a long way in advancing anti-racist white identity. Purposeful use of literature and basic study of white anti-racists are among the key ways educators can advance such aims. Learning for Justice presents four short biographies for early grades classrooms, with activity ideas.

Students explore the connection between art and activism by analyzing a painting about the Gold Rush from the Autry Museum. Students are also invited to participate in activism by creating their own painting.

As a highly-structured model for conversation, Deliberations allow teachers to help students cooperatively discuss contested political issues by carefully considering multiple perspectives and searching for consensus. This Deliberation focuses on an amendment banning flag desecration.

Students learn about the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other Constitutional amendments.

Students will discuss the importance of Civil Discourse and discuss challenging contemporary issues.

This lesson explores how individuals lay claim to a nation’s laws and ideals to assert their own rights and freedoms, and in doing so, nurture democracy in the societies where they live.

Suffrage and the passage of the 19th Amendment marked an important moment in the progression of women’s participation in our democracy and civic life. The 2019 National Youth Summit looked at woman suffrage as an example of how groups with limited political power have and continue to shape our democracy using strategies and tools, like the vote and public protest, to give voice to issues and galvanize fellow Americans into communal movements for change.