History / Year 10 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

The US civil rights movement and its influence on Australia (ACDSEH105)

Elaborations
  • outlining the Freedom Rides in the US, how they inspired civil rights campaigners in Australia, and how they became a turning point in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' struggle for rights and freedoms
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
ScOT terms

Aboriginal history,  Activism,  Torres Strait Islander history,  American history,  Civil rights

Video

Four Corners: African American disadvantage in the 1960s

Find out about the frustration and anger of African Americans and their experiences of racism in the 1960s. Discover what disadvantaged African Americans living in Harlem in 1968 had in common with African Americans living in the wealthy, advantaged suburbs.

Video

Four Corners: Harlem co-op supermarket, 1968

What would you do if you found out that you were being sold inferior groceries, at higher prices, just because of the colour of your skin? Harlem resident Cora Walker explains that this was the situation faced by members of Harlem's African American community in the late 1960s. See how the residents joined together to address ...

Video

Spotlight: Power, religion and the civil rights movement

Imagine what you could achieve if you joined together with people who thought the same way as you did about an important issue? In a panel interview in 1960, US entertainer and rights activist Paul Robeson points out the potential political power African Americans could wield if they voted as a bloc, or single group.

Video

Four Corners: African American salary disparity, 1968

How does it feel to be paid less than another person doing the same job, because of the colour of your skin? During the 1960s, this was the plight of many professional African Americans who were not paid equally for doing the same work as their white counterparts. Listen to David Dinkins, a New York lawyer, share his experiences.

Video

Five Australians: Charles Perkins fights for racial equality

Why is Charles Perkins remembered as a significant leader in the struggle for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? In this clip, he looks back on two campaigns that brought him to public attention in the 1960s and were part of a wider struggle to end racial discrimination in Australia. This clip ...

Video

Four Corners: African Americans and 'white man's welfare', 1968

Examine the daily struggle faced by African Americans living in poverty in Harlem in the 1960s. Single mother Kitty Fernelle provides for herself and her three children with the help of welfare (social services payments) and the support of her local church. At the same time, activist African Americans are calling for black ...

Video

Four Corners: The cycle of urban poverty in Harlem, 1968

What is the cycle of poverty and squalor? Walk with ABC TV's 'Four Corners' program film crew on the streets of Harlem in 1968 as they are taken on a tour of the predominantly African American neighbourhood. Understand the level of poverty and urban squalor that faced African Americans living in Harlem at this time.

Video

Four Corners: Forms of protest

Imagine the internal conflict for an African American policeman in 1968 New York. Against a background of race riots stimulated by racial inequality, African American policeman Chief-Inspector Frederick Waithe must convince African Americans to act within the law. At the same time he sympathises with their grievances.

Online

Indigenous Stories about War and Invasion

This is a website about Indigenous experiences of invasion and war during the British invasion, World War I and World War II. The resource is presented in three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are eight story objects that tell the stories of individuals, events and ...

Video

Four Corners: African Americans demand change, 1968

Imagine that, like many African Americans growing up before the sweeping changes in America in the 1960s, you cannot eat alongside white people, go to white schools, or even ride in the same part of a public bus, even though slavery was abolished more than a century before. This 1968 clip explores the experience of Mae ...

Video

Weekend Magazine: US race riots, 1968

Imagine a country arming its police force with tanks, heavy weapons and chemicals to combat its own people. This extract shows the escalation of violence and the results of racism in the USA in 1968. Army, police and fire units are shown practising new riot control activities in preparation for expected violent demonstrations ...

Video

Four Corners: Defending civil rights: an activist's perspective, 1968

What happens when the members of a society feel like they have no hope? This is the situation faced by members of Harlem's African American community in 1968, who find themselves in a cycle of poverty. Civil rights activists like Al Cook offer a solution to the problem: fight back.

Video

Weekend Magazine: Race riots after the death of Martin Luther King, 1968

Discover what the USA was trying to come to terms with in 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Destruction and killing in more than 100 cities is what followed the event. This Weekend Magazine special report features African American civil rights activist Floyd McKissick commenting on the riots and calling ...

Video

Spotlight: Attaining equality, 1960

Explore the idea of pride in your forebears as famous entertainer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson reflects on being both African American and a citizen of the USA. In this 1960 'Spotlight' panel discussion, Robeson points out the difficulty and importance of gaining equality in a society that is based on conquest ...

Interactive

Treasures of American history - online exhibition

This is an online exhibition showing the objects, artefacts and images that make up some of the treasures of US history. The treasures shown in this exhibition document eight of the challenging situations and issues that have helped to shape the USA. Topics include: revolution and the new nation; slavery; western expansion; ...

Audio

Townsville air raid, 1942

Australia has never been invaded. Nevertheless, isolated attacks on Australian soil have killed and injured hundreds of people, destroyed property, and made many people fearful of a large-scale invasion. In July 1942, Japanese aircraft attacked Townsville, Queensland, bombing the wharf and the surrounding area. This audio ...

Video

Stateline TAS: Aunty Ida West: Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, 1995

Imagine being told not to speak your own language to your family and friends. Even worse, imagine being told that your whole culture had vanished, when you know it has not. These challenges were faced by Aboriginal people in the 20th century. In this clip, discover how Aunty Ida West's background and life experiences forged ...

Video

Four Corners: Surf culture hits Australia in the 1960s

How did surf culture change Australian popular culture? Rock music and the concept of the 'teenager' had arrived in Australia in the 1950s but in the 1960s the surfboard gave rise to a new youth subculture. This clip from 1964 explores conflict in the water and cultural changes that came with the rise of the 'surfie'.

Video

The Australian Dream: Racism

This clip highlights Adam Goodes’s belief that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism. Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used ...

Video

Reflections on ending the White Australia policy

Why was the abolition of the White Australia policy so important? Steps taken by the Whitlam Labor government in 1973 signalled the end of the legislation behind the policy. Find out which event first led to the new multiracial policy being put into practice. In this clip, you will hear from former prime ministers and ministers ...