Martin Luther King Jr.: Classroom Resources

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. To commemorate King’s work, we are sharing Gilder Lehrman lesson plans, primary sources, videos, and essays on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement:

Lesson Plans

• Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech (Grades 7–12)
• The Civil Rights Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (Grades 7–12)

Timeline

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Legislating Equality

Essays

• A Place in History: Historical Perspective on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• The Civil Rights Movement: Major Events and Legacies
• African American Religious Leadership and the Civil Rights Movement

Primary Sources

• Civil Rights Posters, 1968 (print-friendly version here)
• Robert F. Kennedy’s Report to John F. Kennedy on Civil Rights, 1963
• “Don’t Buy a Ford Ever Again,” c. 1960

Videos

• The March on Washington: A Virtual Tour
• Inside the Vault: Anti-Slavery Token and the Civil Rights Poster It Inspired
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy