Idaho Social Studies 9-12.GOV.15
The Standard
Evaluate the roles of the federal and state governments in the Civil Rights Movement.
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Citizenship and Civic Participation
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare what state and federal governments did during civil rights battles. They explain how state decisions could block or protect rights, and how federal courts, laws, and enforcement affected the outcome.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how Arkansas's governor blocked nine Black students from entering a Little Rock school and how federal troops helped them enter. They can explain why a court order needed enforcement.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every state government took the same position. They may also think the Brown ruling integrated schools right away, without resistance or further federal action.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A federal court ordered Little Rock's schools to integrate, Arkansas's governor blocked nine Black students, and President Eisenhower sent troops. Which actions helped or blocked integration, and why did the court order need enforcement?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Sort printed Little Rock event cards by state or federal action, then draw arrows showing how one action led to another.
Write three sentences answering: Why did federal troops enter Little Rock, and what does that show about state and federal power?
Run a timeline relay with cards for Brown, Little Rock, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act; label each government's role.
Compare your state's voter registration page with a Voting Rights Act fact sheet; identify one state rule and one federal protection.
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Related Standards
- 5.SS.4.5
Distinguish and compare responsibilities among state, national, and tribal governments in a federal system.
- 9-12.GOV.5
Evaluate the arguments presented in the Federalist Papers, particularly Essay 10 and Essay 51, and evaluate the arguments in the Anti-Federalist Papers.
- 9-12.US2.29
Analyze the motives, strategies, methods, organizations, and impacts of various Civil Rights Movements.
- 9-12.US2.46
Evaluate the progress of civil rights and immigration issues in recent United States history.
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