US History II Touchstone 4: Thinking Like a Historian Template   Part 1: Change Over Time Write down your selected topic

US History II Touchstone 4: Thinking Like a Historian Template   Part 1: Change Over Time Write down your selected topic and time period.   The civil rights movement in the US between 1950 and 1960. Identify and describe something within your topic that changed over the selected time period, using specific historical evidence. (5-6 sentences)   The issues of the African American status and treatment were transformed during the Civil Rights Movement. Jim Crow laws at the onset of the fifties controlled the south and blacks lost the right to even basic civil rights like equal education, decent jobs or even the right to vote. The following 20 years were marked by constant efforts of shows like NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and even individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to enact serious legislative and social reforms. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited the practice of racial discrimination in social places whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed all obstacles such as literacy tests and poll taxes. These social and legal revolutions were a radical shift in the struggle to achieve racial equality and justice in the United States. Identify and describe something within your topic that stayed the same over the selected time period, using specific historical evidence. (5-6 sentences)   Racial prejudice and systemic inequality continued to be dominant even after the civil rights movement achieved great legislative success during the civil rights era. The African Americans also still experienced economic disadvantages as well as inequality in accessing quality education and discrimination in housing. Indicatively, 1960s decade experienced the event of emergence of the urban ghetto where African Americans were mostly segregated owing to discriminative housing policies, which included the redlining. The social attitudes and institutional barriers continued to as well as provide a racial divide in the country even after desegregation laws were put in place. Such upholding of inequality proved that the positive measures that can be taken to eliminate racism in the American society cannot be achieved on the basis of legal measures only.       Part 2: Context, Causality, and Contingency Write down the title of the primary source you selected from the U.S. History II Touchstone Primary Source List, and paste the weblink here.     The primary source is the letter from Birmingham Jail by martin Luther in 1963.   Describe what is happening in the source. (5-6 sentences)   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his letter to the members of the white clergy in Birmingham, Alabama, is in response of their disapproval of his nonviolent campaigns against racial segregation in the area. King justifies the idea of civil disobedience when he claims that people owe a moral responsibility to go against unfair laws. He defines the distinction between fair and unfair laws, the necessity of immediate action, and denies that the African Americans can afford to wait until changes take place gradually. The intellectual and moral base of the Civil Rights Movement is captured in the letter written, under severe jail conditions, and it is an effective piece of argument in favor of justice and equality. Describe two other things happening in the United States during the topic or event depicted by your source that are related to it. (5-6 sentences)     The era was also characterized by numerous protests throughout the South denouncing the segregation and racial violence. An example is the Birmingham Campaign, which entailed sit-ins, boycotts, and demonstrations directed at the process of desegregating public facilities. At the same time, the federal government had been under increasing pressure to implement civil rights protection and finally the Act of Civil rights was proposed by President John F. Kennedy. The national media also started showing footage of police brutality to peaceful protestors and this not only stunned the society but it gave the movement national backing.   Describe two things that happened in an earlier time period that led to what is depicted in your source. Explain the cause/effect relationship. (5-6 sentences)     The Brown v. The case of Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court ruling was a critical prelude to the activism of King, in which the court ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional and gave impetus to additional assaults on racial discrimination. Also the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) caused by the arrest of Rosa Parks proved that nonviolent protest is always effective when organized. The bigger Civil Rights Movement, which was later formed, was rooted in these previous events and incorporated the legal and moral aspect on which King draws upon in his letter. They demonstrated that collective action would be able to bring tangible outcomes in defeating systemic racism. Describe two things that happened in a later time period as a result of what is depicted in your source. Explain the cause/effect relationship. (5-6 sentences)   The letter of King and the Birmingham Campaign directly led to the adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that made segregation in the public areas and employment discrimination unlawful. Birmingham also achieved success, which in turn led to the March on Washington to Jobs and Freedom in the same year where King gave the famous speech, I Have a Dream. Those incidents increased the national headquarter of racism injustice and solidified King as a core figure of the movement. After all, they accelerated the legislative and social changes in the United States.       Part 3: Complexity and Reflection Were you able to think of more than two things that led to or resulted from the topic or event depicted in your source? How did you choose which things to write about? (5-6 sentences)   It was true that the events that happened before, and after the Letter from Birmingham Jail were numerous. I chose the Brown v. Board of Education case and the Montgomery Bus Boycott since they were the immediate factors, which influenced the strategies and moral philosophy of the Civil Rights Movement. Similarly, I also chose the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the March on Washington as they were some of the significant achievements of the impact of the message delivered by King. I paid attention to these instances since they distinctly prove that legal triumphs, grassroots, and moral leadership were intertwined in influencing social change. They are joined together in the depiction of the intricate web of cause and effect in the U.S. history. How can you apply these skills of historical thinking to your daily life? (5-6 sentences)     History thinking promotes the development of a capacity to think in terms of causes, effects and opinions that are applicable in everyday decision making and problem solving. Contextual awareness would enable me to perceive social and political problems of the present day in a more detailed and compassionate manner. The understanding of continuity and change enables me to realize that improvement is usually very slow and needs persistent work. Considering a range of perspectives and facts prior to drawing conclusions, I will be able to judge more objectively and reasonably even in simple daily circumstances. These capabilities aid in critical thinking, civic awareness, and learners are more appreciative of how the historic pursuits have influenced the current society.