Resources for Chapter 13 – The Struggle for Recognition and Equality
Opening Hook
Documents
Document 13.1 – Carter G. Woodson’s The Mis-Education of the Negro
Document 13.2 – Black History Month
Document 13.3 – Targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Document 13.4 – Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Document 13.5 – Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”
Document 13.6 – Congressional Debates on the MLK Holiday Bill
Document 13.7 – General Order No. 3
Document 13.8 – Juneteenth National Independence Act
Document 13.9 – Opposition to Juneteenth
Check for Understanding
Additional Resources
Documentaries
Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5FJcgGmPis
The documentary follows host Rasool Berry on a journey through Texas to uncover the deep historical and spiritual significance of the Juneteenth holiday. A screening would introduce a unique perspective on how the African American Christian faith served as both a source of endurance during slavery and a powerful catalyst for freedom and communal celebration after the Civil War. After screening the video, the class could compare and contrast how the holiday is celebrated in Texas and other parts of the country.
How Did Martin Luther King Jr. Get a Holiday? Origin of Everything Season 1, Episode 16, 2018. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/how-did-martin-luther-king-jr-get-a-holiday-hfglaj/
The episode examines the long, arduous political and social struggle required to establish a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It details how sustained organizing efforts and legislative battles finally succeeded decades after King’s assassination, highlighting both the widespread national support for the idea and the significant political resistance it faced before being signed into law. Students could generate a timeline based on the events covered in the podcast to visualize the length of this struggle.
Podcasts
A Code Switch Playlist for Black History Month, Code Switch. NPR, February 1, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/02/01/401948607/a-code-switch-playlist-for-black-history-month
This is a curated collection of archived episodes designed to explore the complex, often challenging, landscape of Black history and identity in America. Students can be assigned to listen to a selected episode and share out new understandings.
Real Black History, WHYY. Podcast series. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1043026113/real-black-history
These podcasts highlight overlooked stories, voices, and events in African American history. It’s accessible, engaging, and grounded in reliable reporting, making complex historical issues understandable for students. The episodes connect past and present, providing strong entry points for discussion, critical thinking, and inquiry-based learning. Students can select one based on their personal interest and offer a summary in class or as a written assignment.
Websites
National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. https://nmaahc.si.edu/
Educators can use the museum’s extensive online digital archives, lesson plans, and detailed exhibits to provide students with primary source artifacts and a chronological, contextualized understanding of Black contributions and resistance across centuries.
The Origins of Black History Month, Association for the Study of African American Life and History. https://asalh.org/about-us/origins-of-black-history-month/
This association provides teachers with the official annual theme for Black History Month and curated content that can be immediately integrated into lesson plans.
Books
Juneteenth, Ralph Ellison, 1999.
The novel, completed posthumously from Ellison’s notes and manuscripts, tells the story of Senator Adam Sunraider, a white, race-baiting politician who is actually a light-skinned Black man named Bliss. The complex narrative explores themes of racial identity, performance, and the fractured nature of the American experience, particularly how the past haunts and shapes the present. Teachers could ask students to analyze how the issues discussed in Juneteenth, written a quarter century ago, compare to today’s debates.
On Juneteenth, Annette Gordon-Reed, 2021.
This is a deeply personal and historical examination of the holiday, interwoven with the author’s own experience growing up in Texas, the state where the news of emancipation was finally delivered. The book delves into the complex history of Texas’s relationship with slavery and its legacy. On Juneteenth could be assigned alongside Ellison’s text and students could analyze the connections between the two works.
Glossary
- acknowledgment
- The acceptance or admission of the truth or existence of something.
- celebration
- The action of marking an event or occasion with festivities or activities.
- civil disobedience
- The refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes as a peaceful form of political protest.
- defiance
- Open resistance or bold disobedience to authority or opposition.
- legacy
- Something handed down or left behind from the past; the lasting impact of historical events or people.
- liberation
- The act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression.
- memorial
- Something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event.
- monument
- A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a person or event.
- peonage
- A system where people are forced to work to pay off debts, creating a form of debt slavery.
- pilgrimage
- A journey to a sacred or meaningful place, often for religious or commemorative purposes.
- recognition
- Acknowledgment of the existence, validity, or importance of something or someone.