Lesson Plan Non Violent Resistance
"Don't Hit Back"
The Role of Non-Violent Resistance in Charlotte and India
by Connie S. Russell, Cabarrus County Schools
Overview
Mohandas Gandhi once urged his followers to take their opponents' anger, but don't hit back, the cornerstone of non-violent resistance. This lesson will introduce students to the concept of non-violent resistance on the local level of Charlotte, North Carolina. Students will analyze primary sources in order to define the characteristics of this type of protest, while also deciding its effectiveness at ending discrimination. These ideas can then be applied to the study of Gandhi's method of Satyagraha in Colonial India.
North Carolina Standard Course of Study (7th grade)
Goal 13.01 - Identify historical movements such as colonization, revolution, emerging democracies, migration, and immigration that link North Carolina and the United States to selected societies of Africa, Asia, and Australia, and evaluate their influence on local, state, regional, national, and international communities.
Daily Objective
- The students will be able to define the concept of non-violent resistance by identifying its main characteristics.
- Students will use their own judgment to determine the effectiveness of non-violent resistance in ending discrimination in both the community of Charlotte and the broader setting of colonial India.
Suggested Time for Activities
1-2 days @ 60 minutes each, plus possible extension into study of India
Materials Needed
General:
Index cards (optional)
Computer access to play New South Voices audio clip
Headphones
LCD projector to display primary source photographs (optional)
Primary sources and accompanying documents:
Image #2 - school kids photograph
Image #3 - NAACP meeting photograph
Image #4 - Freedom Day photograph
Image #5 - Jim Crow protest photograph
Image #6 - theater protest photograph
Image #8 - Alexander and Johnson photograph
Document #1 - Culbertson letter
Document #2 - Anti-Discrimination Ordinance
Document #3 - Sachsenmaier letter
Document #4 - protest march poster
Document #5 - Charlotte Observer article June 3, 1968
Document #6 - bombing letter to Kelly Alexander
Political Cartoon - "She's Been With Me For Years"
Political Cartoon - Southern school integration
Audio Clip of oral history interview with Kelly Alexander, Jr.
Transcript of Kelly Alexander, Jr. interview
Primary source photo analysis worksheet
Primary source cartoon analysis worksheet
Primary source written document analysis worksheet
Primary source audio recording analysis worksheet
Description of Primary Sources - Key for Teachers
Lesson Plan
Pre-Activities
This lesson will fit into a broader study of the Indian subcontinent. Prior to the lesson, students should be briefly introduced to the colonial history of India and should be somewhat familiar with individuals such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The lesson will then reinforce the ideas put forth by these two men, bringing understanding of “Satyagraha,” or non-violent resistance, to a deeper level of understanding. Students should also have some practice in analyzing primary sources.
Activity
1) Write the words “non-violent resistance” in large letters across the board. Have students list all of the ideas or thoughts that they currently associate with this concept on notebook paper in a graphic organizer. If students have no ideas, have them make predictions about what they think it might mean based on the words themselves. This may be done individually at first or in small groups. Then have the class as a whole discuss their ideas while recording all responses on the board. It is important for students to explain where their ideas came from and why they think that way.
2) Once the students have generated a preliminary description of non-violent resistance, ask them if they think non-violent resistance works. (You will probably want to have them record their initial response either in their notebooks or on an index card.) Explain to them that they will be using some images, documents, and interviews from Charlotte, NC, to further define non-violent resistance and the methods of protest it employs. They will then be asked to judge the success of this movement in ending discrimination in that city. Later, they will analyze the same methods as they were used in Gandhi’s India.
3) Divide students into groups of three to four. Give students copies of at least two of the primary sources from the materials list above, making sure to vary the types of sources given to each group. You may choose to play the audio clip aloud for all of the groups. Students should spend at least 20 minutes analyzing their sources using the prompts on the primary source analysis worksheets listed in the materials section above. These documents were developed by the Education Department at the National Archives. Students should record their thoughts on these organizers. Instruct them to additionally look for:
a.) details in the source that help them DEFINE non-violent resistance and
b.) clues that help them DECIDE if it was successful.
4)After they have had time to work, have the groups briefly explain their analysis of the sources they were given by taking turns sharing information with the class. In this way students will become somewhat familiar with all of the primary sources. They may all want to add details to their notes as they listen to the groups share. At the end of the presentations, add any new details that were gained to the students’ definition of non-violent resistance. Make sure to focus on types of protests often used in non-violent resistance (strikes, boycotts, picketing, political activism, etc.). Discuss trends that emerge across the various sources
Are there any generalizations that can be made about non-violent resistance based on what was seen?
Is there ever violence that happens as a result of non-violent resistance?
You may decide the length of this portion of the lesson based on the needs and attention span of your students. If time is limited, you may choose to have each group only share their analysis of ONE source.
Assessment
1)Using the notes and ideas generated by their primary source analysis, the students will respond to the following question: (copy and give to students)
How successful was non-violent resistance in ending racial segregation in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina?
Craft your response into a well-written paragraph. Use a solid opening statement that clearly shows your point of view. Include in your response the characteristics of non-violent resistance, as well as specific examples from the documents that support your point of view. Make sure you include details from the documents that make your response convincing.
2)After all responses have been turned in, discuss what the class as a whole thinks about this question. Did their initial ideas and opinions change as they viewed the documents? (Here it would be helpful to revisit their original answers as to whether non-violent resistance works.) Where did this method of resistance start? Would it be successful on a larger scale? This discussion will lead the students to the study of Gandhi and his ideas on Satyagraha, one of the original non-violent resistance movements. You may want to use the movie Gandhi. (More information about the movie is given below.) It is long, but it is an excellent depiction of non-violent resistance at work in India. Students can then compare the experience of Charlotte to that of India in trying to end discrimination and colonial rule.
Additional Resources
Students may want more information on:
Colonial India
Mohandas K. Gandhi
Winner of nine Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Actor and Director), this epic masterpiece stars Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi, spiritual leader of the people of India. Teaching tolerance and non-violence in a frenzied time, he spearheaded his people's revolt against British rule--changing the world in the process. (Directed by Richard Attenborough)
Rated: PG
Jawaharlal Nehru
Satyagraha - What is Satyagraha?
Kelly M. Alexander -Link to UNCC manuscript collection biography
Kelly Alexander, Jr.- Transcript of Kelly Alexander, Jr. interview
Fred D. Alexander - Link to UNCC manuscript collection biography
Charlotte Anti-Discrimination Ordinance of 1968
NAACP (Charlotte branches and national)
Southern school de-segregation