Georgia SS5H6.c
The Standard
Describe the impact on American society of the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies · Describe the importance of key people, events, and developments between 1950-1975.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how each killing affected the public, politics, and the civil rights movement. They distinguish immediate reactions, such as mourning and unrest, from longer effects, such as political change and increased distrust.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student links John F. Kennedy's death to national mourning and the transfer of power to Lyndon Johnson. The student links Martin Luther King Jr.'s death to unrest and renewed civil rights action, and Robert Kennedy's death to changes in the 1968 election and stronger candidate protection.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often confuse John and Robert Kennedy or think Robert was also president. They may place all three deaths in 1968 or assume civil rights activism stopped after King was killed.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Choose two leaders. For each, write one immediate public reaction and one longer effect on American society.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups leader, event, public reaction, and lasting impact cards to sort into three dated timeline sets.
Write a paragraph answering: How can the death of one leader affect a whole country? Use two historical examples.
Play a matching relay where teams pair each leader with the correct role, year, public reaction, and social impact.
Compare 1960s newspaper front pages with a recent public memorial, then list ways Americans respond when national leaders die.
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