Summary: This lesson examines race segregation in New Jersey and the impact of restrictive covenants and redlining utilized under the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). Students will explain the difference between the de jure and de facto discrimination and debate which type of discrimination is most difficult to remove. Students will also explain why race riots took place in many of New Jersey’s cities and compare those conditions underlying present-day race riots in the United States. Finally, students will analyze the role of the Federal and State Governments in ensuring Civil Rights; analyze various perspectives about Black Lives Matter; and create an agenda of what needs to be done to address the underlying issues concerning race today.
Overarching Questions:
- CIVICS: Have the concepts of liberty, justice and/or equality changed during the time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- CIVICS: How well does the government balance individual rights and the common good, including the need to maintain order, safety and a healthy environment, during this time period?
- CIVICS: Have individuals and groups influenced public policy during this time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- NEW JERSEY: How have changes in New Jersey during this time period influenced U.S. history?
NJ Student Learning Standards for Social Studies:
- 6.1.12.EconNM.8.a: Analyze the push-pull factors that led to the Great Migration.
- 6.1.12.HistoryCC.8.a: Make evidence-based inferences to explain why the Great Migration led to heightened racial tensions, restrictive laws, a rise in repressive organizations, and an increase in violence.
- 6.1.12.CivicsPI.13.a: Craft an argument as to the effectiveness of the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, New Jersey Supreme Court decisions (i.e., Hedgepeth and Williams v. Trenton Board of Education), and New Jersey’s laws in eliminating segregation and discrimination.
- 6.1.12.CivicsDP.13.a: Analyze the effectiveness of national legislation, policies, and Supreme Court decisions in promoting civil liberties and equal opportunities (i.e., the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, Title VII, Title IX, Affirmative Action, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade).
- 6.1.12.CivicsPI.14.c: Analyze how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution to define and expand individual rights and use evidence to document the long-term impact of these decisions on the protection of civil and human rights.
- 6.1.12.HistoryCA.14.b: Create an evidence-based argument that assesses the effectiveness of actions taken to address the causes of continuing racial tensions and violence.
Link to Lesson: Civil Rights and Urban Race Riots in New Jersey