In this unit, we followed the experience of John Lewis as he grew up in the segregated South and, inspired by the protests of the 1950s, became a student leader in the civil rights movement. Part of a new generation of young African Americans, Lewis and his colleagues were not afraid of the consequences of fighting to end the system that constrained their lives and opportunities. Yet, Lewis also makes his debts clear to activists and mentors who inspired and guided him like James Lawson and Ella Baker. In this way, the classic phase of the civil rights movement shows its roots back into the long civil rights movements.
Please use resources (readings, videos, and document problems) to answer the following questions in a substantial (1-2 paragraph) response.
What sparked a new phase of the civil rights movement in the 1950 and 1960s? In what ways did it draw upon existing kinds of organization and activism? In what ways did it draw on new currents of determination and newly empowered activists? Did the movement face greater obstacles from what Theoharis calls redneck†or polite racism?
Links may help: https://youtu.be/NpY2NVcO17U
https://youtu.be/3bb76CK3Cwc
https://youtu.be/aXG9lqr6qk4
Sample Solution
