Album Description

Lesson Creators: Susan Allen and Robert Scarlet (TPS Mentors)

Overview: 

Lesson Title: The Niagara Movement

Overview: The intent of this lesson is to highlight the people and the motivation for the Niagara Movement and the organization that sprung from that, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Understanding goal: The goal is to broaden the knowledge of many who may be familiar with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) but are not at all familiar with the Niagara Movement that was the precursor to the NAACP.

Objectives:

- The student will demonstrate the ability to locate primary sources from the Library of Congress about the founders of the Niagara Movement.

- The student will demonstrate the ability to analyze primary source text using the Analysis Tool and Guide available on the Library of Congress website.

- The student will demonstrate mastery of the lesson by presenting their response to the investigative question to the class using at least two primary sources found on the Library of Congress website, using a presentation method selected from the Choice Board provided by the teacher.

- The student will demonstrate mastery of the lesson materials during a summative assessment.

Investigative question: What was the Niagara Movement, who founded it, and how did it result in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People?

Grades: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies:

- United States History and the Constitution (USHC)

- African American History (AAH)

 Standards:

- United States History and the Constitution: South Carolina Standard 5: Demonstrate the impact of America’s global leadership on technological advancements, the transition to a post-industrial society, and ongoing debates over identity in the period 1945–present.

-- Indicator: USHC.5.CC: Evaluate continuities and changes during the Civil Rights Movement and other subsequent movements for equal rights.

- African American History (Berkeley County, South Carolina Standard): Standard 3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of Civil War on African Americans; including the influence of the Emancipation Proclamation, the development of early African American military units, the effect on slavery in the south, the triumphs and tragedies of the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction, and the efforts of early African American

-- AAH-3.4: Evaluate the varied responses of African Americans to the restrictions imposed on them in the post-Reconstruction period, including the leadership and strategies of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Resources provided to students from the Library of Congress:

1. Booker T. Washington: A Resource Guide: https://guides.loc.gov/booker-t-washington 

2. Ida B. Wells (Anti-Lynching): https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/ida.html 

3. Draft of Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Compromise Speech: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/booker-t-washington-era.html 

4. W. E. B. Du Bois: A Resource Guide: https://guides.loc.gov/web-dubois 

5. DuBois note congratulating Booker T. Washington for his “Atlanta Compromise” speech: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart6.html   

6. NAACP Creation Platform Document: Excellent Primary Source for students to use the LOC.gov Analysis Tool on: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart6b.html 

7. R. P. SLATER. Niagara Movement Founders. 1905: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/images-from-americas-library/about-this-exhibition/social-political-and-religious-life/r-p-slater-niagra-movement-founders/ 

8. COLLECTION: African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection: (Niagara Movement and NAACP covered in 1901-1925 link)

-- 1881-1900: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1881-to-1900/  

-- 1901-1925: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/   

9. NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/the-new-negro-movement.html 

10. Double “V” Campaign: https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/08/world-war-ii-the-double-v-campaign/ 

11. COLLECTION: African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/

Materials: Materials: PowerPoint slides, Project Materials, Chromebooks

Procedure:

Lesson Preparation

This lesson emphasizes students using the Library of Congress to learn more about the history of the Niagara Movement to answer the main lesson question. The teacher will assign student groups.

This is a two-day lesson, with both days requiring computers connected to the Internet. To prepare students for the second day, the teacher will use part of the first day to model how to find information on the LOC.GOV website. In addition, students will have the opportunity to practice using the website.

Lesson Procedure (Day 1)… Explanation and Modeling

Step 1: The teacher will discuss the overview, goals, investigative question, and objectives of the lesson. Explain to the students they will be working in groups and will be required to present their findings to the class upon completion.

Step 2: The teacher will lead a discussion on the African American struggle for equal rights, and inquire about what students already know about the era and the role of ordinary citizens to form civil rights organizations.

            -- The PowerPoint lesson will broaden the students understanding of the Civil Rights struggle of African Americans by chronicling protest efforts from the end of slavery in America through the 1900s to demonstrate the long Arc of the struggle. The lesson will highlight some key people and events that laid the groundwork for the current National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

            -- All topics and people introduced to the students are readily available to be researched on the Library of Congress website and the links to these topics are made available to students. Some of the topics provided include: Biographical information concerning some of the founders of the Niagara Movement, and some of the events that inspired the creation of the Niagara Movement and later the NAACP. 

Step 3: All students will have access to a collection of Primary Source material that cover decades of civil rights activities to formulate their opinions and craft their summative project. 

Step 4: Teacher will model using the Analysis Tool and Guide, available on the Library of Congress website, to analyze the Primary Source Materials available to students. 

Step 5: The teacher will model researching Primary Source material on the Library of Congress website. 

Step 6: The teacher will break students up into research groups of 3 to 4 students. Students will be briefed on the task to be completed during the next class period. 

Step 7: Groups of students will spend the remaining class period practicing using the Library of Congress website to begin researching information need to complete their assignment research. 

Lesson Procedure (Day 2)…Student Research and Analysis (45 Minutes)

Step 1: Remind students of the Goal, Objective, and Investigative Question. 

Step 2: Each group of students must use the Analysis Tool and Guide to analyze at least two of their primary sources provided by the teacher, or two they find on LOC.gov. Allow 30 minutes for this task. 

Step 3: The teacher will continually monitor pairs to ensure they remain on task and help students navigate the Library of Congress website. 

Step 4: Discussion of Problems and Assessment: (Final 30 minutes)

When groups have completed their work, each group will share their findings with the class. Each group must demonstrate how their primary sources address the investigative question and contributed to their project. The presentations must be based on information from at least two primary sources found on the Library of Congress website. 

Assessment:

Evaluation: Student performance will be assessed based on the following criteria and attached Rubric:

1. Did the group accurately use the Analysis Tool and Guide to analyze at least two primary sources? 

2. Were the sources used truly Primary Sources? 

3. Do the primary sources chosen accurately respond to the investigative question? 

4. Did the student group presentation completely and accurately address the lesson question? 

5. Did the group clearly demonstrate how their research contributed to the creation of their presentation or project? 

6. Did the group’s presentation provide sufficient information to educate classmates on the assigned topic?

Student Instruction Sheet 

Lesson:

The Niagara Movement was one of America’s first African-American civil rights groups. In this lesson we will highlight the people who created the Niagara Movement and the motivation for the Niagara Movement. In addition we will learn about a very important civil rights organization that sprung from that, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Our hope is to increase your knowledge of the Niagara Movement and how it contributed to the creation of the current National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 

Investigative question: What was the Niagara Movement, who founded it, and how did it result in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People? 

You will be separated into groups to do the following: 

1: Use the Analysis Tool and Guide to analyze at least two primary sources that you found on the loc.gov website, or from the attached Student Resources Sheet. You must fully complete the analysis of each of the two primary sources you choose.

2. Your group must use the Primary Source information you discovered to create a presentation that you will use to educate the class about your topic. You will use the topic Choice Board to select your presentation method.

 3. Your task completion will be graded based on the following:

• Did the group accurately use the Analysis Tool and Guide to analyze at least two primary sources?
• Were the sources used truly Primary Sources?
• Do the primary sources chosen accurately respond to the investigative question?
• Did the student group presentation completely and accurately address the lesson question?
• Did the group clearly demonstrate how their research contributed to the creation of their presentation or project?
• Did the group’s presentation provide sufficient information to educate classmates on the assigned topic?

Search Tips: To improve your chances of finding relevant Primary Sources, make sure your search term includes words like: Civil Rights; Protests, Niagara Movement, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Student Resources Sheet 

1. 1. Booker T. Washington: A Resource Guide: https://guides.loc.gov/booker-t-washington 

2. Ida B. Wells (Anti-Lynching): https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/ida.html 

3. Draft of Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Compromise Speech: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/booker-t-washington-era.html 

4. W. E. B. Du Bois: A Resource Guide: https://guides.loc.gov/web-dubois 

5. DuBois note congratulating Booker T. Washington for his “Atlanta Compromise” speech: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart6.html 

6. NAACP Creation Platform Document: Excellent Primary Source for students to use the LOC.gov Analysis Tool on: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart6b.html 

7. R. P. SLATER. Niagara Movement Founders. 1905: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/images-from-americas-library/about-this-exhibition/social-political-and-religious-life/r-p-slater-niagra-movement-founders/ 

8. COLLECTION: African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection: (Niagara Movement and NAACP covered in 1901-1925 link)

• 1881-1900: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1881-to-1900/   
• 1901-1925: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/    

9. NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/the-new-negro-movement.html 

10. Double “V” Campaign: https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/08/world-war-ii-the-double-v-campaign/ 

11. COLLECTION: African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection: https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/