Ages: 9 Up |
A DREAM OF FREEDOM: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT FROM 1954 TO 1968
by Diane McWhorter In this history of the modern Civil Rights movement, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diane McWhorter focuses on the monumental events that occurred between 1954 (the year of Brown versus the Board of Education) and 1968 (the year that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assasinated). Beginning with an overview of the movement since the end of the Civil War, McWhorter also discusses such events as the 1956 MTGS bus boycott, the 1961 Freedom Rides, and the 1963 demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, among others. --Scholastic 2004 ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 8-11 |
LANGSTON'S TRAIN RIDE
by Robert Burleigh Clackety clack clack clack. Can you hear the rhythm of the train? Langston Hughes did. Traveling to see his father in 1920, as he listened to the sounds of the train -- metal on metal, wheels on rails -- Hughes's imagination took flight. On that ride, he was inspired to write his first famous poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." This picture book tells the story of Langston Hughes's rise to accomplishing his dream of being a writer. With bold, striking illustrations by Leonard Jenkins, here is a book for any young person with a dream. ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 5-8 |
THE PATCHWORK PATH: A QUILT MAP TO FREEDOM
by Bettye Stroud, Illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett The wagon wheel. The bear's paw. The flying geese. These are some of the squares in the quilt Hannah's mama helped her to sew--before Hannah's sister was sold to another plantation and before Mama died of a broken heart. Now that Hannah's papa has decided to make the run for freedom, this patchwork quilt is not just a precious memento of Mama--it's a series of hidden clues that will guide them along the Underground Railroad to Canada, where they'll finally be free. A fictionalized account of a fascinating oral history, The Patchwork Path tells the story of a brave father and his young daughter, two of thousands who escaped a life of slavery and made the dangerous journey to freedom--a story of courage, determination, and hope. ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 10-14 |
I, DRED SCOTT: A FICTIONAL SLAVE NARRATIVE BASED ON THE LIFE AND LEGAL PRECEDENT OF DRED SCOTT
by Shelia P. Moses Born into slavery in Virginia in the late 1700s, Dred Scott had little to look forward to in life. But he was fortunate in two ways: His first owner was fairly kind to him, and he grew up with his owner's children, forming friendships that he would come to depend on years later. For on April 6, 1846, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriett -- their ownership having changed hands several times during adulthood -- took the dangerous and courageous step to sue for their freedom, entering into legal battles that would last for eleven years. During this time Dred Scott would need all the help and support he could get -- from folks in the community all the way back to the people with whom he had been raised. With a foreword by Dred Scott's great-grandson, Shelia P. Moses' stunning story chronicles Dred Scott's experiences as a slave, as a plaintiff in one of the most important legal cases in American history, and -- at last -- as a free man. Dred Scott's story is one of tremendous courage and fierce determination. His is a life that should be known by -- and should inspire -- all Americans.
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Young Adult |
POWER OF ONE: DAISY BATES AND THE LITTLE ROCK NINE
by Judith Bloom Bloom Fradin, Dennis Brindell Fradin The life of civil rights leader Daisy Bates is vividly detailed in this stirring new biography by an acclaimed husband-wife team. Throughout her life, Daisy Bates worked tirelessly for civil rights as an activist, journalist, and organizer. She first captured national attention as the mentor of the nine black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. During this crisis President Dwight Eisenhower was forced to use federal troops to insure the admission of the students, who became known as the Little Rock Nine. In 1999, just hours after her funeral, President Bill Clinton bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal on the Little Rock Nine, and two years later Daisy Bates was honored by a state holiday in Arkansas. In this noteworthy companion to their other distinguished biographies of African Americans, Dennis and Judith Fradin have drawn upon a trove of archival material including papers, correspondence, and photographs of her life and work. They also interviewed some of her living relatives and members of the Little Rock Nine. The result is a compelling, inspiring book about the courage and determination of one woman in the face of prejudice and intolerance. Endnotes, bibliography, index. ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 6-10 |
FRIEND ON FREEDOM RIVER
by Gloria Whelan, Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen In 1850 the Detroit River was a major track along the Underground Railroad - the last step to freedom. The journey across the river was dangerous, especially in winter and especially for a 12-year old boy. When Louis's father left him in charge of the farm he offered his son this advice, "If you don't know what to do, just do what you think I would have done." Louis replies upon his father's words of wisdom when a runaway slave and her two children come looking for passage. It is extimated that 40,000 slaves traveled Michigan's Underground Railway. ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 9-12 |
FREEDOM STRUGGLE: THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT 1830-1865
by Ann Rossi By 1860 nearly 4 million black people were slaves in the United States. The lives of these people were very difficult and provided them no freedoms. In the early part of the 19th century, rumblings from people who felt that slavery was wrong began to surface. These people came to be known as abolitionists. Freedom Struggle tells the story of the fight they waged to end slavery in America. The reader will learn about leaders of the anti-slavery movement, including Frederick Douglass, the Grimkes, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown, among others, and how members of the Underground Railroad helped slaves escape the South to the free states of the North. The slavery debate took over and divided the nation, becoming one of the primary issues of the Civil War and threatening to destroy our country. Examples of arguments from opposing sides are found in this book. After many struggles and many years, constitutional amendments (the 13th and the 14th) were passed giving black Americans greater civil liberties and ended slavery in the U.S. The abolitionists had won! Like the other books in the series, Freedom Struggle is illustrated with period photographs, paintings and drawings. Also included are a glossary and an index. ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 9-12 |
AMELIA TO ZORA: TWENTY-SIX WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
by Cynthia Chin-Lee Twenty-six amazing women--twenty-six amazing stories. From Amelia Earhart, pilot and adventurer, to Zora Neal Hurston, writer and anthropologist, learn about the hardships and triumphs that inspired each woman to change the world around her. Detailed collages and illustrations draw from various events in the women's lives. ORDER HERE |
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