Music of the Civil Rights Movement | GOSPEL

Learn about the intersecting lives of Mahalia Jackson, C.L. Franklin, James Cleveland, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. C.L. Franklin and Mahalia Jackson had a profound influence on the young Martin Luther King Jr. At the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Mahalia Jackson performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and urged King to tell the throngs of marchers about his dream. King’s secular sermon—“I Have a Dream”—remains one of the most well-known political speeches in history, and has its roots in gospel.

In this lesson, students will explore the relationship between music and the civil rights movement. They will examine the development of the music within the movement and discover how that music helped organize the movement. Additionally, students will identify how singing songs served as a nonviolent protest tactic that characterized the movement.

NOTE: This resource includes outdated language in the historical video and closed captions [at markers 02:45-02:48 and 04:16-04:18] that is no longer in use and that may be considered offensive or inappropriate by some.