Supporting Home Learning in Unit 1 Pursuing Life and Liberty:
Equality in the USA, 1945-68
Award winning documentary history series....Keep your eyes on the prize!
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Focus 1. The social and economic position of black citizens in the USA in the 1940s and early 1950s: the nature and extent of discrimination and segregation; signs of change by 1955.Content overview
The focus of this topic is on the struggle by black people in the USA for equal rights in the years between the end of the Second World War and the death of Martin Luther King in 1968. Since the focus of this unit is on broad themes, questions will not be set which concentrate exclusively on depth of knowledge, for example about one particular individual or event, other than those which are specifically listed in the content bullet points. Students will, however, be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the themes defined in the content bullet points by the selection and deployment of relevant information as exemplification. Students will need to develop knowledge and understanding of the situation throughout the USA in the decade after the Second World War. Students should understand something of the social, economic and political position of blacks in different parts of the USA and how, if at all, this position was changing. They should be aware of the impact of the Second World War, improving employment prospects, internal migration and the beginnings of reform. They should be aware of the work of the NAACP and understand the importance of the constitutional case of Brown versus Board of Education (1954-55). |
Additional Learning Resources
Eyes on the Prize Episode 1
Eyes on the Prize Episode 2 Eyes on the Prize. Episode 3 Eyes on the Prize Episode 4 Eyes on Prize Episode 5 Eyes on Prize Episode 6 |
Focus 2. Martin Luther King and peaceful protest.
Content overview
Students will need to develop knowledge and understanding of the high profile campaign associated with Martin Luther King in the late 1950s and the 1960s. Students should have an understanding of the forces opposed to equal rights and of the ways in which this opposition expressed itself. Students should have knowledge and understanding of the aims, methods and effectiveness of the civil rights movement. They should understand the salient features of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1968 in order to address the impact of the campaigns and the role of federal authority. |
Additional Learning Resources
HF Lecture CRM and non violence HF Lecture JFK and CRM HF Lecture CRM 1 HF Lecture CRM 2 HF BP and the White Power Structure HF BP and the White Power Structure
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Focus 3. Black power and the use of violence; the extent to which equality had been achieved by 1968.Content overview.
Students will need to develop knowledge and understanding of the rise of more militant black protest movements in the 1960s. Although students will benefit from some knowledge of the roots of the ‘Black Power’ movement, questions will not be set which focus on developments before 1960. They should have knowledge and understanding of the divisions which developed in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and the consequences. Students should be aware of the impact of the Vietnam War on the civil rights movement but detailed questions on the conflict will not be set. |
Additional Learning Resources
HF Lecture BPM 1
HF Lecture BPM 2 HF Lecture Radicalisation and CRM 1 HF Lecture Radicalisation and CRM 2 Malcolm X's influence on the Black Panthers |
Focus 4. The changing economic and social environment of the 1960s: the position of other ethnic minorities.
Content overview
Students will need to develop knowledge and understanding of the wider economic and social environment of the 1960s and students should be aware of the protest culture associated with youth and the Vietnam War, women’s liberation and the general cult of change and individual freedom. They should be aware of issues relating to ethnic minorities such as Native Americans and Hispanic immigration. |
Additional Learning Resources
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And finally....cracking the Puzzle and developing my exam technique to achieve my potential in Unit 1!Once you have developed your knowledge and understanding through completing the course and practising the skills of doing history in your lessons and homework, it will be important to prepare yourself for the final puzzle...the exam. In fact lets stop using the E word now and just talk about preparing for the puzzle. There are two essential aspects to this preparation.
Firstly, there is developing your memory. This is something that you can do through specific memory training exercises and revision more generally. In history we encourage the use of the Trigger Memory Activity as an initial stimulus to your memory of a whole topic both in overview and in depth. Use theses tools and others that you have developed to prepare your memory for the demands of the puzzle. Secondly you will need to think about how this particular exam is organised, the number of questions, what skills they are asking you to demonstrate, the amount of marks they are worth and the amount of time you will have to answer these questions in the puzzle. There will be examples of these puzzles that have been used before so ask your teacher about them or find out the exam board and syllabus to access past papers online. The more that you prepare your memory and your clever writing patterns for particular questions under the conditions the puzzle will be set in, the greater chance you will have of fulfilling your potential in this subject.There are some examples of the Trigger Memory Activities and Clever Writing Patterns to develop Puzzle Technique opposite. Sit back, kick your shoes off, relax and begin your preparation. Get Revising Website Free Resources |
Additional Learning ResourcesAll past questions |
Civil Rights Films
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Malcolm X
Ali
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