Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts. Students will leave this lesson with a better understanding of how music illuminates the quest for civil rights. It then shifts towards active student participation and engagement with the material, calling for them to form their own analyses and opinions of the songs and their impact and then to conduct oral history interviews. After examining a specific case, that of the Freedom Riders, the lesson encourages them to see the role of music in the aftermath of this protest and subsequently, throughout the civil rights era. This lesson first focuses on an examination of the civil rights movement as a whole. Students will look at the various goals of the movement and begin to see music’s place in participants' objectives. Between President Kennedy’s reluctance to support legal civil rights to the tumultuous protests against the Vietnam War, music served as an outlet and source of courage for many involved. “We Shall Overcome,” “Get Your Rights Jack,” and “A Change is Gonna Come” reflect both the hope and frustration behind the movement’s struggles throughout the 1960s. Of course, not all music of the early 1960s dwelled upon the political and civil rights demands of black Americans, yet many popular songs of that period delve deep into many issues concerning freedom and equality in our national conversation. Thus, song offers unique insight into the meaning behind the spirit of the civil rights movement. The Freedom Riders employed freedom songs and spirituals as a crucial aspect to their non-violent protest of racial inequality.Īmerican musicians have long used their craft as a means to disseminate ideas, challenge precedents, and call people to action.
Four hundred black and white students associated with CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) planned to ride Greyhound buses through Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and other states to protest illegal segregation in the South.
In the spring of 1961, college students challenged the existing segregation laws in the American South with an assertive yet non-violent strategy. This lesson focuses on one case study, the story of the Freedom Riders. Musicians and artists played active roles in spreading the message of leaders such as Dr. In the remaining activities students will learn to analyze the meanings and messages behind the music and discover how such creative outpourings continue to play a vital role in the struggle for the civil rights. In the second activity, students participate in an interview-based activity to develop skills in oral history and relate the past to the present. The first activity of the lesson focuses on the Freedom Riders as a example of the interweaving of protest and music. Through collaborative activities and presentations, students will find the meaning behind the music and compare and contrast the major figures, documents, and events of the day to better understand the political and cultural messages. The popular music of the early 1960s offers a unique and engaging entry point into the politics surrounding equal rights in mid-twentieth century America.
Those words made up the chorus to Sam Cooke’s passionate track “A Change is Gonna Come.” The participants of the civil rights movement recognized the power of song and performance and utilized this form of cultural communication in their quest for equal justice under law. “It’s been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come.”