Chapter 22: The Civil Rights Era "Marching on Birmingham"

Introduction
Students have read about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In this lesson, they will examine more closely one of the more dramatic events of the movement, the march on Birmingham in 1963.

Lesson Description
Students will visit the Powerful Days Web site featuring the civil rights photography of Charles Moore. They will view a series of photos on the march on Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Then they will answer questions about the photographs.

Instructional Objectives
1. Students will be able to discuss photography as a form of social and political commentary.
2. Students will be able interpret photographs in order to answer questions about them.

Student Web activity Answers
1. nonviolent
2. He appears determined and serious. His mouth is set, and his eyebrows furrowed. His stride looks purposeful.
3. It captures the people as they follow King's philosophy of nonviolent resistance. They are protesting, but in a passive way.
4. Answers will vary: The photos show people whose rights were blatantly violated. Dog attacks and powerful water sprays are brutal, violent responses to people who are asking for justice in a nonviolent manner.

GO TO STUDENT ACTIVITY