Library of Congress’ Freedom

The Freedom site is a creation of the Library of Congress, whose mission is to “engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity”. The Freedom site, focused on showing the story of the Black civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s, is based on sources within the Library of Congress’ holdings. To tell this story, starting with Emmett Till and ending with the march to Montgomery, Alabama, is a powerful demonstration of the power of the people. This approach to the site fits into the Library of Congress’ mission to not only educate but also inspire the American people. 

This site was not developed specifically to be used as a classroom resource; however, the primary sources and interviews pulled together for this project can be utilized by teachers for their Civil Rights Movement unit. While the scope of the project does not deal with all the complexities of this period, it does effectively show the user how recent these events were by including taped oral histories. The site’s coverage is also ample for the K-12 classroom and does complement the traditional classroom approach by emphasizing the proximity of the events to the students. 

While there are no interactive components to the site, the images and oral histories are fantastic starting points for conversations within the classroom. The text can be used to guide the conversation for both the teacher and students. One possible activity for older students could be to watch the CBS News Eyewitness clip from 1962 and the account from Dr. William Anderson, then have the students reflect on both within a class discussion. Answering questions such as “What does it show that teenagers are doing this?”, “How do they present themselves?”, “What impression do you get about their character?”, “How are they talking about the movement in the news clip versus Dr. William Anderson and the questions the interviewers want answered?”. These questions are to prompt the students to consider the messaging and crafting of a story during and after such events and how it can shape the bystanders’ perception, both in the moment and afterwards. 

For classroom use, the biggest weakness is the lack of interactive elements. The scope is appropriate for primary education, and the site can start interesting conversations amongst the students and a deeper appreciation for the cost paid during the Civil Rights Movement. A bonus is that the text does not shy away from discussing the racial tensions and harm that drove actions during the 1950s and ‘60s. Teachers might have students compare how these events are covered on the Freedom site versus their textbooks and assess which they think makes the most compelling argument.  

The separation of the Black Civil Rights movement from the others and limiting it to the actions of the 1950s and ‘60s provides flexibility for the teachers to include additional civil rights movements. For example, a teacher can show similar tactics being adopted later by disabled and Queer activists of the 1960s and ‘70s. Connecting the information in the Freedom site to other movements can deepen students’ understanding of how they can exercise their voices as citizens, how communities they may be a part of did so too, and the wider impact of the work done by the Black community during this time.