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Civil Rights During WWII: New Performance Assessment

Published on Fri, 02/06/2015

Photo of WWII African American soldiers with guns between destroyed builidings.
African American soldiers on patrol near bombed buildings, somewhere in Europe (Library of Congress) See also https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/ww2-pictures.

A new Featured Source Performance Assessment is now available, examining Civil Rights During World War II. In this performance task, high school students compare several pieces of evidence from the Civil Rights Movement during WWII. This performance task requires students to compare text, sound files, and images to deepen their understanding of the efforts by African Americans to advance the Double V Campaign (victory over racism at war and at home) during WWII. A timeline helps students sequence and visualize the relative length of time between events. The assessment features the following sources:

  • A letter from A. Phillip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters to Walter White of the NAACP.
  • The transcript of an audio-taped 1940 White House meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Civil Rights leaders, including A. Philip Randolph and Walter White.
  • A flyer from a 1941 NAACP conference
  • The notes of a 1941 White House meeting between Roosevelt, Randolph, and White.
  • Presidential Order 8802 of 1941.
Click here to access the Performance Assessment
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Rich Cairn

Civics and Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist, Collaborative for Educational Services
Rich Cairn founded Emerging America in 2006, which features the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program at the Collaborative for Educational Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History program, "Forge of Innovation: The Springfield Armory and the Genesis of American Industry." The Accessing Inquiry clearinghouse, supported by the Library of Congress TPS program promotes full inclusion of students with disabilities and English Learners in civics and social studies education.