PrintPresident Dwight Eisenhower eventually intervened, sending the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to protect the nine students as they entered Central.
Under federal protection, the Little Rock Nine finished out the school year. They continued, however, to be the target of threats from other students and some members of the community. Why did the nine students stay under such hostile conditions? “We kids did it mainly because we didn’t know any better, but our parents were willing to put their careers and their homes on the line,” says Ernest Green, one of the students.
Little Rock Central High School is now a National Historic Site and the subject of an online lesson plan produced by Teaching with Historic Places, a program that offers classroom-ready lesson plans on properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Visit www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ak1.htm.
King’s labor legacy
Be sure to check out AFT Online (www.aft.org) for several features that focus on the strong ties between civil rights pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the labor movement. Enter “Martin Luther King” in the search feature, and you’ll find King’s views about the significance of organized labor in the quest for equality and justice in America. Also available are the text of King’s famous “I have a dream” speech and details of his last struggle—the fight, along with labor, for striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn.
Visit these Web sites for more resources:
■ The U.S. government Web site (www.ed.gov/free/bhm.html) offers a wealth of information and lesson plans for Black History Month.
■ TeacherVision (www.teachervision.fen.com/black-history-month/black-history/6602.html) offers lessons plans in language arts, mathematics and social studies as well as quizzes and other materials for educators.
■ The History Channel’s Web site (www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory/) includes video clips, speeches and background on the history of the civil rights struggle.
■ Fun black history activities and resources for the entire family are available at http://fun.familyeducation.com/black-history-month/holidays-and-celebrations/32871.html. A database of black inventors—biography, major inventions, and photos—can be found at http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/
Famous_Black_Inventors.htm.
■ The National Visionary Leadership Project (NVLP) has developed a comprehensive multimedia unit on the Civil Rights Movement with video clips, a timeline, photographs, historical documents and other primary resources. It is available for free at www.visionaryproject.org/teacher.
