Black-History.com is in its founding phase. Join the founding subscriber list →
Classroom · Grades 6–12

A. Philip Randolph

Organized, disciplined mass pressure — even the credible threat of it — can compel government action, and Randolph insisted that civil rights and economic rights could not be separated.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions), 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance), and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.His.1, D2.His.14, D2.Civ.10
Reading
A. Philip Randolph (profile)

Big Idea

Organized, disciplined mass pressure — even the credible threat of it — can compel government action, and Randolph insisted that civil rights and economic rights could not be separated.

Before Class

Students read the profile of A. Philip Randolph, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why did the Pullman porters want a leader whom the company could not fire, and what does that tell you about the risks workers faced when they organized?
  2. Randolph called off the 1941 march after Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802. Was that the right decision? What did he gain, and what might he have given up?
  3. How did Randolph’s campaigns of 1941 and 1948 prepare the ground for the March on Washington in 1963?
  4. Why did the 1963 march demand jobs and a higher minimum wage as well as civil rights? How are economic rights and civil rights connected?

Activity

Give small groups the text of Executive Order 8802 from the National Archives. Each group first lists what the order required and what it created, then rereads the profile’s account of the march planned for 1 July 1941. Groups write a short memo in the voice of a White House adviser in June 1941, arguing that the president should or should not act before the march. Close with a whole-class discussion comparing the memos with what actually happened, and with Executive Order 9981 seven years later.

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: A. Philip Randolph.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/a-philip-randolph/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: A. Philip Randolph. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/a-philip-randolph/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: A. Philip Randolph.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/a-philip-randolph/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

← All lessons  ·  Read the profile →