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Classroom · Grades 6–12

John Lewis

John Lewis practiced disciplined nonviolence from the Nashville sit-ins to the floor of Congress, linking the student movement of 1960 to the voting-rights fights of the twenty-first century.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance) and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.Civ.10.9-12, D2.His.1.9-12
Reading
John Lewis (profile)

Big Idea

John Lewis practiced disciplined nonviolence from the Nashville sit-ins to the floor of Congress, linking the student movement of 1960 to the voting-rights fights of the twenty-first century.

Before Class

Students read the profile of John Lewis, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Lewis trained in James Lawson’s nonviolence workshops before the Nashville sit-ins. Why did nonviolent protest require preparation and discipline?
  2. Other march leaders made Lewis tone down his 1963 speech. What did he originally want to say, and why were they worried about it?
  3. How did the televised violence of Bloody Sunday help move Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act?
  4. What did Lewis mean by “good trouble,” and how did he apply the idea as a member of Congress?

Activity

Students read the original draft of Lewis’s March on Washington speech and the profile’s note that it was toned down shortly before he spoke. In small groups (25–35 minutes), they mark the passages they think other march leaders objected to and discuss why a coalition might soften a speaker’s words. Groups then read the opening sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and explain how the law answered, or failed to answer, the demands in Lewis’s draft.

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: John Lewis.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/john-lewis/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: John Lewis. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/john-lewis/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: John Lewis.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/john-lewis/.
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.

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