SELMA Lesson Prompt - Univ Newsreel Pettus Bridge PART 1

SELMA LESSON PROMPT - Documenting the Movement Univ Newsreel Pettus Bridge PART 1

"The Selma Story: President Seeks End to Civil Strife"

Download or Stream Documenting the Movement Lesson Prompt for the motion picture SELMA.  This clip features archived newsreel footage of Turnaround Tuesday, the second attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.  This clip correlates with Lesson #11 in the SELMA Curriculum Guide and is Part I to Documenting the Movement.  Part II features the film dramatization of Turnaround Tuesday, the second attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Following the clip appearing on screen is a prompt question for in-classroom discussion.  Video files can be large and can take time to download.  Please take a moment to preview the clip on our site before you download or stream straight from our site into your classroom!  Click on full screen and project right onto your smartboard!

Prompt Question:  Compare or contrast the depictions of the same event from these two sources.  Which account should be considered primary and why?

Run time:  3:24

ABOUT THE FILM:

In spring of 1965, a series of dramatic events changed the course of America and the modern concept of civil rights forever -- as courageous marchers, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., attempted three times to carry out a peaceful procession from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama on a quest for the basic human right to vote.   The shocking confrontations, the triumphant final march and the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that followed are now an indelible part of history.  But the vitally relevant, vitally human story of Selma – from the political battles in the halls of power to the grit and faith of people on the street to the private, inner struggles Dr. King faced – has never been seen on the movie screen.