Are We Free at Last?

Where were you three decades ago? Huh, you were not alive, are you sure? Well it has been more than three decades since Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) left a remarkable impact on today's country. Look around the room, how many different ethnic groups do you see? Did you know that in the early 1900's black and white students attended segregated schools and ate in segregated restaurants? Yes, it's true! Blacks and whites couldn't attend the same schools, or eat in the same restaurants, or drink from the same water fountains.

We (citizens) are in a New Millennium and have more freedom to do things that were not previously available to our ancestors. Martin Luther King Jr. contributed to this nations equality. As an investigator, you will research Martin Luther King's life and the role he played in ending segregation.

What if you couldn't eat at your favorite restaurant because of your ethnicity? What if you were bused several miles from your home because of your ethnicity? How would this make you feel, and how do you think things are different today? Are we free at last?

Task

You are a 13-year-old student who wishes to eat at the McDonald’s that is one block away from your house. Unfortunately, the restaurant is segregated and people from your ethnic group are not allowed to eat there. You know that the next closest McDonalds is too far from your house and you have to drive 2 hours just to get there. You will research the Constitutional Amendments that protect you from this unfair practice and find out what contributions Martin Luther King Jr. made to end segregation in restaurants. You will create a poster that describes how it made you feel to be left out, how things are different now, and what steps Martin Luther King Jr. took to stop this horrific act.

Before you begin this assignment you will need to:

• Choose a partner that is from a different ethnic group than yourself. (if this is not available choose a student of a different gender)

• Become familiar with some of the vocabulary used in the WebQuest.

• To become familiar with the Vocabulary that you will run across, go to Martin Luther King, Jr. Vocabulary and study the worksheet.
• Once you have looked at each worksheet, go to the Matching Worksheet and test your memory.

• Determine which member will search for Martin Luther King information and who will search info on the Constitutional Amendments.

• Students Worksheet

Let's Begin:

Step 1: Who is Martin Luther King Junior?

Open this Timeline to learn about him.

Step 2: Research Mr. King

Can you answer these questions: (click each picture to open a new link)

1. Name the speech that Martin Luther King Jr. became famous for?

2. Even though Martin Luther King is no longer living, he is still especially remembered in what month and day every year?

3. Why did Martin Luther King stage a boycott in Montgomery Alabama in 1955?
   

4. What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 say? What is your definition of racism?

5. Look at the images from http://www.sithly.com/enchantme/inmemory/mlk/index.html and read the summary of each photo.

Step 3: Research the Constitutional Amendments

Can you answer these questions: (click each picture to open a new link)

1. Which amendment protects our Civil Rights?

2. In what year did Congress pass a new Civil Rights Act, designed to prohibit segregation in public facilities and accommodations, such as theaters, hotels, and restaurants?

3. In what legal case did the Supreme Court rule that segregation in schools violated the 14th Amendment?

4. Name three areas in the Jim Crow laws that separated blacks and whites? For example: Education or Schooling

Step 4: Racism Today

Can you answer these questions: (click each picture to open a new link)

1. Which restaurant in the mid 1990's faced a class-action lawsuit for racial discrimination?

2. In 2001 another famous restaurant chain was sued for $100 million dollars for allegedly segregating black customers into the smoking section to deny them service.

• Read the following articles CNN.com & LookSmart Articles and discuss with your partner the final outcome, why you think it happened, and if the allegations seemed true or not.

• Be prepared to tell the class a brief summary of what you read.

• Choose and print 2 images from "Google Images" for your collage. (One image must be on segregation and the other on equality)

  To get images: (you must use Google Images) Type in segregation in the search box, then click Search. Browse the first 2 PAGES and choose one image. Right click on the image to bring it up. Then click on the image at the top near the address bar to get a bigger picture. Go to file and print. Repeat the same steps for the next picture. Good Luck!

Step 5: Send a Freedom Card

Go to MLK Jr. E-Cards and choose a card that you would like to send to a friend. Personalize the card with the correct information. Using your Smartkidsmail address send this to someone very special. If you do not have an email address, check with your teacher to see if you can use your parents or schools general email account.

Your grade will be determined on how well you answered the questions, completed your greeting card, and your collage. Use the rubric below to assess your performance.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Research factual information on Martin Luther King, Amendments, Racism Today.	Answered 1-3 questions correctly out of 12. Several mistakes or skipped questions. Missed the concept of the questions.	Answered 4-7 questions correctly out of 12. Minimal mistakes or skipped questions. Missed the concept of the questions.	Answered 8-10 questions correctly out of 12. Several mistakes or skipped questions. Understood the concept of the questions	Answered 11-12 questions correctly out of 12. no mistakes and very detailed explanations.
Freedom Card	Didn't choose a card at all. Or Chose a card with out editing it.	Chose a card but didn't edit it correctly.	Chose a card, edited the card correctly, attempted or sent the card to someone in the class.	Chose the card, edited the card, mailed the card. Used the correct sender and receiver in the information line.
The Collage	No Images, no text, only hand written information.	Used text, but didn't follow the image guidelines.	One image that didn't follow guidelines. used appropriate text to describe collage.	Final product is colorful and speaks out. Followed guidelines for images, wrote or typed test to explain collage.

Wow! What a hunt! By now you have traveled back in time and experienced some of the terrible things that use to occur before you were born. What has this experience done for you? Does this give you something to be thankful for?

Think you've got it? Try these interactive quiz to test your knowledge.

Martin Luther King Quiz

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/classroom/MLKquiz.html

Thanks to all the wonderful people in the world who provided these links and useful information. Keep Dr. Kings Dream alive by educating our children on the past, present, and future.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/36_l_johnson/psources/ps_civilrights.html

http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm

http://www.familyeducation.com/quiz/0,1399,67-11649,00.html

http://www.grandview.mccsc.edu/mlk04/MW/past.htm

http://www.sithly.com/enchantme/inmemory/mlk/index.html

http://www.nps.gov/malu/documents/jim_crow_laws.htm

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/120900/new_10.html

http://encarta.msn.com/text_761580651___3/Segregation_in_the_United_States.html

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/laws.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/classroom/MLKquiz.html

http://people.brandeis.edu/~fft/food%20for%20thought%20logo-little.jpg

http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/equal_protection.html

http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/segregation.asp

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html