Pettus, Peter. The civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. 1965. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003675346/.
Students will engage with a primary source photograph of the Selma marchers by first observing the image using a See–Think–Wonder routine to spark curiosity and discussion. The teacher will introduce the photo without context to encourage students to focus on the people, setting, and emotions captured. After learning background on the Selma to Montgomery marches and the broader Civil Rights Movement, students will revisit the photo with new insight, connecting it to themes of justice, courage, and community. The teacher should expect students to ask questions, make inferences, and reflect on the photo’s meaning and message in both past and present contexts.
The National Archives site gives a detailed but brief overview of the Selma to Montgomery march. Teachers can use this to pull summarized information to provide background knowledge of the march.
Source: https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/vote/selma-marches
- What does this photograph of the Selma marchers help us understand about the fight for civil rights and the power of peaceful protest?
- What do you notice first in this photograph? Why do you think that stands out?
- How might living in a rural town like Selma have made it harder or easier for people to organize and join marches?
- Why do you think the march from Selma to Montgomery was such a big deal for people living in rural areas?
- How do you think being in a rural community shaped the way people communicated and supported each other during the Civil Rights Movement?
- Why is it important to learn about what happened in rural towns like Selma—not just big cities—during the Civil Rights Movement?
ELA Standard
AL.5.28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.
Social Studies Standard
5th Grade, Standard 3. Describe the contributions of Alabama leaders and foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement as well as other Alabamian supporters who aided their efforts.
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
- Students will complete a See–Think–Wonder chart, noting clues about the terrain, the marchers’ faces, and the environment. Who might live or work in these rural stretches, and what role could they have played?
- Next, present a brief reading or summary about the role of Lowndes County in the march—including rural landowners David Hall, Rosie Steele, and Robert Gardner, who risked their homes and livelihoods to provide campsites for marchers on private farms along US Highway 80 through deeply rural Alabama. Students will annotate with emphasis on how rural communities were instrumental in logistical support, safety, and moral solidarity.
- In small groups, students will then analyze: If these farms and rural communities had not supported the march, what might have happened? They will use the primary source image and the reading to support their claims, discussing how a successful march depended on more than just the urban narrative in Selma or Montgomery.
- After analyzing the photo, assign students different roles (a marcher, a child watching, a police officer, a news reporter). Students write a journal entry or letter from that person’s point of view: “Dear friend, today I saw something I’ll never forget…” Encourage emotion, reflection, and connection to the march’s purpose.
- Wrap up with a class discussion of the extension question, encouraging students to consider present-day parallels: What rural community actions or voices in your state or region today challenge stereotypes and contribute meaningfully to change and justice?
Library Of Congress, and Sponsoring Body Library Of Congress. Center For The Book. Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -01-14, 2015. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021689634/.