Lesson Plan: Nonviolent Resistance

Illustration of activists encouraging voter registration. Three black people stand outside a house with a sign saying "Freedom House" above the door.

Registering to vote and attending mass meetings were central aspects of the African American Freedom Struggle

Drawing by Evan Bissell

Introduction

In partnership with Beacon Press, we've created a series of six lessons as a companion to A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr., for Students. This lesson, Nonviolent Resistance, focuses on Dr. King’s “The Sword that Heals” and asks student to listen to interviews with veterans of the freedom struggle as they discuss the role of nonviolent direct action.

Author:

Andrea McEvoy Spero

Subject:

English Language, U.S. History

Grades:

6-8, 9-12

Essential Question

Is it possible for nonviolent direct action to transform a community?

Lesson Activities

Part One: Primary Source Analysis

Part Two: "The Sword That Heals"

Part Three: Philosophy or Strategy?

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