President Kennedy's Civil Rights Speech Worksheet

Description

This primary source activity features President Kennedy's amazing June 11, 1963 speech on civil rights. The crisis in Alabama over desegregation led Kennedy to issue an appeal to the consciences of Americans to support a bold civil rights bill that addressed injustices facing African Americans.

Following the 2 page speech, a set of questions has students analyze President Kennedy's words in context of the Civil Rights Movement. An answer key for these questions is provided.

An editable Google Doc version of the activity is included along with a link to video of the speech.

This is one of my favorite speeches to have students analyze for the beauty and power of JFK's words and something I make sure to use ever year that I teach the Civil Rights Movement. It is great for a regular high school US History class, as well as AP, or honors level students.

This resource can also be downloaded as part of my complete Civil Rights Movement Unit Plan Bundle.

Please take a moment to "Like" my page on Facebook for updates, giveaways, links and more! Thanks!

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President Kennedy's Civil Rights Speech Worksheet

Name: President Kennedy's Civil Rights Speech Worksheet
Brand: Students of History
SKU: 816665
Price: 1.75 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.91 (34 reviews)

Students of History

19.4k Followers

$1.75

Highlights

Digital downloads

Google Apps, PDF

Grades

9th - 12th

Subjects

Civics, Social Studies, U.S. History

Standards

CCSSRST.11-12.1

CCSSRST.11-12.2

CCSSRST.11-12.4

Description

Following the 2 page speech, a set of questions has students analyze President Kennedy's words in context of the Civil Rights Movement. An answer key for these questions is provided.

An editable Google Doc version of the activity is included along with a link to video of the speech.

This resource can also be downloaded as part of my complete Civil Rights Movement Unit Plan Bundle.

Please take a moment to "Like" my page on Facebook for updates, giveaways, links and more! Thanks!

Report this resource to TPT

Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

4.9

Rated 4.91 out of 5, based on 34 reviews

34
ratings

Grades used with

Reviews

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

All verified TPT purchases

Great resource!

Rated 4 out of 5

April 27, 2026

Met expectations

Great value

Standards-aligned

I used this with the video of Kennedy giving this speech so that students could follow along, as it is a long read. I would encourage teachers to preview the questions and give students additional info (what is the Golden Rule, explain hypocrisy, etc) before assigning them to work indepently, if you use it that way.

Jennifer C.

1 review

Grades taught: 11th

Rated 5 out of 5

April 14, 2025

Great resource! Easy to use and kids were engaged.

Shelby B.

2 reviews

Grades taught: 11th

Rated 5 out of 5

September 22, 2024

My students loved using this resource. Thanks so much!

Hands On Equals Minds On

(TPT Seller)

1,103 reviews

Grades taught: 12th

Rated 5 out of 5

July 25, 2024

This is a great resource to use with my 8th graders.

Nanci S.

2,272 reviews

Grades taught: 8th

Rated 5 out of 5

April 18, 2024

Our history book focused mainly on the assassination of JFK, his unfaithfulness to Jackie, the conspiracy theories on his death, etc. It had one sentence on his fighting for Civil Rights... I had to fix that. I preloaded the kids with questions about civil rights movement and the Alabama Campaign.... they had no background knowledge of it at this age. (Not sure when schools typically cover this, but I was very aware of it by middle school.) Analyzing the speech really helped them understand what was going on at the time. We watched the speech, then had them underline the statistics in black and white. The worksheet questions led to some great discussions. Kids at this age are so passionate about injustice. Thanks for helping round out the JFK lesson with the "good" he did vs. all the scandal.

aubrey B.

38 reviews

Grades taught: 7th, 8th

Rated 5 out of 5

November 7, 2022

My students need lots practice and support of using primary resources ! Thank you for a great resource!

Julie G.

184 reviews

Grades taught: 10th, 11th, 12th

Student populations: Learning difficulties

Rated 4 out of 5

July 9, 2022

Thank you

Catherine P.

67 reviews

Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th

Response from

Students of History

(TPT Seller)

Oct 11, 2022

You're welcome, Catherine! Also I just updated this with a new Google Doc version if you'd like to redownload!

Rated 5 out of 5

September 8, 2019

Looks good! I haven't used it yet, but it is always nice to have a great lesson on hand!

Jennifer Shidal

(TPT Seller)

144 reviews

Questions & Answers

Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).

CCSSRST.11-12.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.

CCSSRST.11-12.2

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.

CCSSRST.11-12.4

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.