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Lewis Legacy Project: English 9: Day 3

Day 3 Lesson: March, Book 1

Pages 48 - 73

Day 3

Day 3: Lewis Legacy Project Begins!

Day 3 Overview

1) Read Aloud Time: 20 minutes (pages 48 - 73)

Discussion Questions:

1.  How did hearing Martin Luther King, Jr on the radio affect Lewis?

2. What do you learn about the Montgomery bus boycott from John Lewis’ perspective?

3. Explain the impact of the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 and today.

Historical Events in this section:

Event: 

  • Brown v. Board of Education
    • Where: Topeka, KS
    • When: 1954
    • What: A Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in schools to be unconstitutional.

Brown vs. Board of Education attorneys

NAACP Attorneys 1954. Left to right: NAACP attorneys George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James Nabrit, Jr. celebrate their victory in the Brown vs. the Board of Education case at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., 17 May 1954.

Place:

  • Money, Mississippi
    • Why: A small town in MS where Emmett Till’s body was found.
Money, Mississippi
Map of Money, Mississippi

Event:

  • Montgomery bus boycott
    • Where: Montgomery, Alabama
    • When: December 1955- December 1956
    • What: A political and a social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
During the Montgomery Bus Boycott African Americans walked and rode their bikes to get where they needed to go.

Place:

  • Troy, Alabama
    • Why: A city in central Alabama where John Lewis’ mom worked.

Troy, Alabama
Map of the state of Alabama, green star locates the city of Troy.

Place:

  • American Baptist Theological Seminary
    • Where: Nashville, TN
    • Why: The school attended by John Lewis to continue his education to become a minister until 1961.  Now called American Baptist College.
American Baptist College logo
Current logo for American Baptist Theological Seminary

Place:

  • Troy State University 
    • Where: Troy, Alabama
    • What: The all-white school where John Lewis applied in 1957.  This led to his meeting with Dr. King.
Troy State college logo
Troy State University logo
 
 

Historical People in this section:

in order of appearance in today's reading

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968): Leader of the civil rights movement.  Led with nonviolent tactics and passionate speeches.
Emmett Till with his mother Mamie Till Mobley Emmett Till (1941-1955): A 14-year-old African American boy who was lynched in Mississippi after he was accused of offending a white family in a grocery store.
Ralph Abernathy Rev. Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990): A civil rights activist and Baptist minister.
Fred Gray Attorney Fred Gray: A civil rights attorney, preacher, and activist from Alabama.
Rosa Parks Rosa Parks (1913-2005): civil rights activist known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott.