Browse Exhibits (2 total)
In this lesson students will examine the denial of rights of African Americans both nationally and in Virginia, and consider the impact these events had on the lives of individuals and families. Students will investigate what happened to the rights of African Americans after Reconstruction. They will be able to define the terms “discrimination” and “segregation” and recognize how these can and did affect people. Specifically, students will examine some Jim Crow laws and consider the 1902 Virginia Constitution. This lesson works well after students have learned about Reconstruction, and can serve as a transition lesson to their study of the Jim Crow era. It is designed to follow “A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction.”
Students will recognize that segregation was a system supported by both law and custom that threatened African American people in all parts of their lives. Students will examine photos and other primary sources, read excerpts from oral histories of African American people who lived during segregation, and reflect on how African American people managed to raise, care for, educate, and try to protect their children and young people even within this system.