Teaching the Struggle for Civil Rights, 1977-Present

Written for a period in time which is still evolving, this volume speaks to many of the civil rights issues that were overshadowed for much of the 20th century. As civil rights campaigns began to come into focus, so too did the cries for basic human rights from many groups. These civil rights movements can be characterized by a common sense of necessity in American history. These voices argue collectively for the inclusion of this new timeline of civil rights campaigns in classrooms across the United States. Topics include attention to emerging movements in the longer civil rights history including citizens with disabilities, LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, art and literature movements, economic access, and civil rights law. Each theme presented in these chapters gives teachers a background in which to build civil rights curriculum and discussion for students. In addition to historical analysis, this volume provides curriculum development solutions to teach these topics within an interdisciplinary social studies classroom.

John A. Moore is Professor Emeritus in the School of Teacher Education at Western Kentucky University (WKU). He has served as Chair of the WKU Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. Dr. Moore is a former president of the National Council for the Social Studies (2012-2013). His research interests are Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Expectations of Student Teaching and Internship, The Teaching Profession and Civic Engagement in the Classroom, Multicultural Curriculum Development, Middle Level Education, and Pre-service Teacher Reflection on Teaching. Before coming to WKU, Dr. Moore taught high school social studies in North Dakota for two years and middle level social studies in Lexington, Kentucky, for eight years. He earned his doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Administration from the University of Kentucky.

Adam I. Attwood is Assistant Professor in the Martha Dickerson Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee. He earned his Ph.D. in Education with specialization in Cultural Studies and Social Thought from Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. In 2010, he was awarded the Praxis Recognition of Excellence in Social Studies Content Knowledge from Educational Testing Service.

Matthew R. Campbell earned his Ed.D. in Social Eucation from the University of Houston. He serves as a district curriculum coach in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and teaches social studies methods courses at the University of Houston – Downtown. Previously, Matt was awarded the Outstanding Early-Career Teaching award from Humanities Texas.