Student Activities
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
The Kennedys and the Civil Rights Movement
The Kennedy Brothers
John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) were brothers from Brookline, Massachusetts. John F. Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States in 1961, while Robert F. Kennedy served as his Attorney General. Together, they played an important role in the civil rights movement. Though they had different positions in government, their actions were often connected, as they worked together to bring about change.
Reflective Question: How do you think being brothers helped JFK and RFK work together?
Tough Vocabulary:
- The Civil Rights Movement: This was a time in history when people worked hard to make sure everyone was treated fairly, no matter the color of their skin. They wanted to change unfair laws and make sure everyone could go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, and vote in elections. It was about making sure everyone was treated equally.
In the 1950s and 1960s, America was filled with both hope and struggle for civil rights. Civil rights are the rights of all citizens to political and social freedom and equality. Black Americans fought for equal treatment and an end to segregation, where people were separated based on the color of their skin. Despite progress, many faced injustice and inequality, such as unequal access to voting, education, and public places.
Reflective Question: How do you think segregation made life unfair for Black Americans?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Segregation: The practice of keeping people of different races apart in public places, like schools and buses.
- Injustice: A situation where people are treated unfairly or not given the same rights.
- Inequality: When things are not fair or equal for everyone. It’s when some people are treated better or get more than others, even though everyone should be treated the same. For example, if some kids are allowed to play a game but others aren't just because of how they look or where they come from, that’s inequality.
President John F. Kennedy was deeply moved by the unfair treatment of Black Americans. In his speech on television on June 11, 1963, he said,"One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice..."President Kennedy understood that true freedom could only happen when everyone, no matter their skin color, was treated equally.
Reflective Question: Why do you think President Kennedy believed America would not be free until everyone was equal?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Freed: Set free from control, restrictions, or unfair treatment.
- Heirs: People who get something passed down to them from a family member, like a gift or money, after that person is gone.
- Injustice: A situation where people are treated unfairly or not given the same rights.
In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr., who was well known for fighting for civil rights, was arrested while protesting segregation in Georgia. After hearing about his arrest, then-Senator John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert Kennedy, called to help secure his release. This act earned them strong support from the Black community. In the election, Kennedy won seventy percent of the Black vote.
Reflective Question: Why do you think Black Americans supported John F. Kennedy during the election?
Freedom Riders and Birmingham Campaign
In 1961, a group of Freedom Riders traveled across states to challenge segregation on buses. Their bus was attacked in Alabama, and President Kennedy sent federal troops to protect them. Later, in Birmingham, Alabama, peaceful protestors were sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by dogs. President Kennedy was shocked and pushed for change.
Reflective Question: How do you think seeing attacks on peaceful protestors made President Kennedy feel?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Federal troops: Soldiers sent by the U.S. government to enforce the law.
- Freedom Riders: were brave people who rode buses in the 1960s to help end unfair rules that treated Black and White people differently. They traveled together to show that everyone should be treated equally, no matter their skin color. They wanted to make sure all people could sit wherever they wanted on buses and use the same bus stops.
During Kennedy’s presidency, steps were taken to integrate public schools. James H. Meredith became the first Black student at the University of Mississippi, and federal troops were sent to protect him. Later, Vivian Malone and James Hood tried to enroll at the University of Alabama. President Kennedy made sure they could safely attend.
Reflective Question: Why do you think it was important to have Black students integrate schools?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Integrate: To bring people of different races together in public places, like schools or neighborhoods.
After President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for the Civil Rights Act to honor JFK. The act, signed into law in 1964, made discrimination in public places and schools illegal.
Reflective Question: Why do you think the Civil Rights Act was so important?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Discrimination: Treating people unfairly because of their race, gender, religion, or other things about them.
- Equality: The state of being equal, where everyone has the same rights and opportunities.
- The Civil Rights Act: This is a law that was made to make sure everyone is treated equally, no matter the color of their skin, where they come from, or their gender. It helped end unfair rules that kept people apart, like not letting everyone go to the same schools or use the same restaurants. This law helped make things fair for everyone.
In 1968, then-Senator Robert Kennedy ran for president. He traveled across the country, learning about the struggles of Black Americans. Sadly, he was assassinated that same year. Even after his death, his work for civil rights continued through the nonprofit, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
Reflective Question: How do you think Robert Kennedy’s work still helps people today?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Assassinated: Being killed, usually for political reasons.
- Nonprofit: An organization that uses money for a cause rather than for making money for themselves.
Robert Kennedy once said,"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... Those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."This shows how his actions, and the actions of others, helped make change possible in America.
Reflective Question: What does Robert Kennedy mean by “ripples of hope”? How can you make a difference in your own community?
Tough Vocabulary:
- Injustice: A situation where people are treated unfairly or not given the same rights.
- Change: Making something different, often for the better.
- Opposition: When someone is against something or doesn’t agree with it.
Tags: kennedy lesson
Last updated: July 27, 2025