Although slavery officially ended when the Civil War did in 1865, the next 100 years were anything but struggle-free for African Americans, and the legacy of slavery and segregation continues to mar the lives of many African Americans today. This era is brought to explosive life in this look at the Civil Rights movement; for kids who want to learn more about the monumental changes wrought during this time, this unit can’t be missed. This study of the Civil Rights movement, for kids, starts with how segregation – an unwritten law in the North but a very public and accepted one in the South – fed the struggles of African Americans, which culminated in the birth of nonviolent protests, sit-ins, and civil disobedience that ultimately led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Heroes of the period, from humble ones like bus rider Rosa Parks to powerful lawyers like Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American Supreme Court Justice, are given special attention, along with the various groups, such as the NAACP and the National Urban League, that worked together to change the system. And no discussion of the Civil Rights movement, for kids, would be complete without a look at Martin Luther King, Jr., how he inspired and led millions, and how he gave his life trying to create a better one for so many others.