Black History Month Teaching Resources
Black History Month Teaching Resources
Black History Month offers a powerful opportunity to explore how Black Americans have shaped our nation and its civic life from its very beginning.
This year, iCivics’ resources are organized into easy-to-navigate themes aligned with the Civic Star Challenge, making it simple to integrate Black History Month into your curriculum as you teach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each theme has options for high school, middle school, and elementary.
And be sure to get iCivics’ brand-new, printable Black History Month posters. The posters highlight inspiring civic quotes from iconic Black figures and showcase artwork from Quoting Democracy, a collaboration between iCivics and the Center for Civic Education.
Revolution & Change
From our nation’s founding, the claim was made that when a government no longer protects its people by ensuring their natural rights, the people have the right to demand change. Use these resources to teach students how change has shaped the history of the United States as people have pursued a greater recognition of the Declaration’s ideals. Some change is small and local. Some, like the Civil Rights Movement, affected the entire nation.
Pushing Towards Civil Rights
Our civil rights unit covers the expansion and abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, and the expansion of rights through court cases and laws.
Tactics of the Civil Rights Movement
What tactics did the Civil Rights Movement use to change discriminatory segregation and voting laws?
Stepping Forward: The Fight for College Integration
In this video, students learn about the courage of Autherine Lucy and Pollie Ann Myers, who were denied admission to university due to the color of their skin.
How Did Laws, Courts, and People Impact Civil Rights in the Late 1800s?
In this inquiry-based unit, students will explain how Amendments to the Constitution attempted to address slavery’s wrongs.
Community & You
The government derives its power from the consent of the governed. Civic engagement empowers people to recognize their history and work to improve the country. Teach with the resources below to show students the value of active citizenship.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned “separate but equal” in public schools.
The Nashville Sit-Ins
What makes a movement successful? The people? The actions? The outcome? Students find out that answering this question is more involved than it may seem.
Students and the Struggle for School Integration
In this video, students learn about the activism of teenager Barbara Johns.
Why Do We Have a Day Off From School?
Students will learn about Dr. King’s work and answer the mystery question: “Why do we have a day off from school?”
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is more than a catchy phrase. It embodies some of our nation’s fundamental values in stating that all people are born with rights that no government can take away. Use these resources to teach students how Constitutional amendments, federal laws, executive orders, and court decisions have extended these foundational ideals of equal opportunity and the protection of rights to more groups of people.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott was not entitled to his freedom, and how the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments overturned the decision.
Little Rock: Executive Order 10730
Students will explore how executive orders can be used to enforce the law and examine how Eisenhower justified his decision to use federal forces to help enforce equal rights for African Americans.
The Shelleys & the Right to Fair Housing
In this video, students learn about J.D. and Ethel Shelley and their fight against restrictive housing covenants.
How Did Robert Smalls Help People by Being Civic-Minded?
In this lesson, students will learn about Robert Smalls’s life to answer the mystery question: How did Robert Smalls help people by being civic-minded?
Celebrate Black History Year-Round
Each poster features a quote from an influential Black American who made a lasting impact on the nation.
Join educators across the nation in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with the Civic Star Challenge. Using any of the resources in this collection makes you eligible to enter!
The challenge makes it easy to incorporate the Declaration of Independence into your pre-existing curriculum and to take advantage of the chance to win prizes for you and your school.
Ready to dig in?
Discover lessons designed to meet all of your instructional needs. Our nonpartisan classroom resources engage students with complex concepts in ways they can understand and relate to.