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Documenting the Civil Rights Movement: How the Free Press Changed America

This high school lesson plan provides students with opportunities to learn about the Civil Rights Movement through the prism of freedom of the press using actual events and hypotheticals. Students will use the Frayer Model to analyze images from the Civil Rights Movement and the “Heed Their Rising Voices” ad in the NY Times v Sullivan case to examine the role of the press in creating an informed citizenry and their contributions towards the health of democracy. The lesson plan also includes an AP U.S. Government and Politics extension activity comparing Supreme Court decisions.

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