Mapping to MN State Standards
The resources on this page have been selected by eLibraryMN and Minnesota Digital Library librarians and curators to support the MN English Language Arts and the Social Studies standards, both current and pending, specifically related to Civil Rights activism. Resources in eLibraryMN and EbooksMN have unlimited simultaneous user access and are freely available to anyone geolocated in Minnesota. The primary source resources detailed are available to all, regardless of location.
Please reach out with questions or suggestions about linking to, using, or sharing these resources.
Academic Research
Below is a collection of available topic overviews that link to many related articles and resources within ELM.
Brittanica American Civil Rights Movement Overview
Start here for an authoritative overview of the Civil Rights Movement.
Brittanica Original Sources Classic Civil Rights Narratives
Brittanica Original Sources Civil Rights Movement
Brittanica's Original Sources contains Primary source documents of the civil rights movement from the eighteenth-twenty first centuries
Black History Month Resources from Gale
Make sure to check out all types of resources available in Gale- biographies, magazines, video, audio primary sources, and more. Scroll to the bottom to view related topics.
Ebsco Explora's Topic overview: Racism: Under Social Studies/Civics and Citizenship Topic
Points of View Reference Center: Race and Culture
Scroll down to find the topic heading for Race and culture to view a variety of debate topics surrounding civil rights issues.
Ebooks
This is a curated group of fiction and nonfiction ebooks, Grade Interest Level 9-12. All titles are available to students geolocated in MN without login. Linking directly to chapters is also possible. To link directly to the titles and share in your LMS or libguides, copy the link to the title(s) you want from our persistent link spreadsheet (if you are not accessing through the MackinVia app). Reach out to us with questions about linking.
You are there!. March on Washington, August 28, 1963
Explores the history of the March on Washington of August 28, 1963, when some 250,000 people marched peacefully in pursuit of equality, from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.
The seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. comes of age
Chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s experiences as a divinity student at Crozer Theological Seminary from 1948-1951, and examines the impact these years had on King and his development into an influential civil rights leader. Includes black-and-white photographs.
Stokely speaks: from Black power to Pan-Africanism
Collects speeches and articles written by Stokely Carmichael, discussing topics pertaining to the civil rights movement, Black Power, and the ideology of Pan-Africanism.
Fighting the devil in Dixie: how civil rights activists took on the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama
Examines the civil rights struggle in Alabama and details the Ku Klux Klan's kidnappings, bombings, and murders of the 1950s. Describes George Wallace's run for his fourth term as governor in the early 1980s, asking forgiveness and winning with the black vote.
The thunder of angels: the Montgomery bus boycott and the people who broke the back of Jim Crow
Presents the story of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the modern civil rights movement. Draws on interviews and documents to describe the history of abuse on the city buses, the work of civil rights pioneers such as E.D. Nixon and Jo Ann Robinson, and the events of Martin Luther King Jr.'s trial
Primary Sources
Resources below are recommended by MDL curators from partners in primary source history.
"Carleton Civil Rights Group" editorial
An editorial in the Rochester Junior College student newspaper, the Jaysee Echo, about a new civil rights committee at Carleton College.
Urban League Honors Three in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Urban League's Inter-Racial Committee presented awards to community leaders in 1948.
Chuck McDew and Willie Mae Wilson
"Voices of Minnesota" program on Chuck McDew and Willie Mae Wilson, who were involved in civil rights sit-ins and voter registration drives of the 1960s. Start listening around 3:30.
Roy Wilkins speech on civil rights
Civil rights leader and NAACP director (1955-77) spoke about the history and progress of civil rights at a University of Minnesota summer session in 1965. Listen to his speech and view his photo.
Interview with Theatrice "T" Williams
Director of the Phyllis Wheatley Center (1965-1972) speaks about being a social worker in the tumultuous 1960s.
Civil rights and Black advocacy group reacts to President Nixon's lack of support for minority hiring quotas created during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Collection: Rondo Center
Materials commemorating the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, destroyed by the construction of Interstate Highway 94 in the 1960s. Many community members were involved in civil rights efforts during the mid-20th century.
Black Women's Suffrage Collection
Digital Public Library of America's curated collection of materials related to social causes, narrowed to Minnesota.
Interlibrary Loan/Resource Sharing
For in depth research into these topics, sometimes you need to request materials from other libraries. These can be digital or they can sometimes be printed books. There are two main options for requesting these materials. One, MNLINK, allows you to search all Minnesota libraries for the requires the use of a public library card and PIN. While many educators use their own library card to help students, it is recommended that students use their own. However, this is not always possible, so there is a second option: Minitex Resource sharing for schools. This allows one staff member per school to request items on behalf of students and have the items sent directly to the school building. If you have questions about which option is better for you and your students, reach out to us and we can help.