Caveat Academy course · Grades 7 to 12

Civil Rights and Social Change

How Americans have fought for equal rights and how change actually happens: abolition, Reconstruction and Jim Crow, Brown v. Board and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sit-ins, Birmingham, Selma and the landmark laws of the 1960s, and the movements for women's, Latino, Asian American, Native American, disability, LGBTQ and immigrant rights. Six modules at your own pace, built on real events, laws and sources, with a certificate at the end.

Start the courseSee the modules
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Foundations of civil rights

    Explain how the Reconstruction amendments promised rights and how Jim Crow laws and violence denied them in practice.

    • Rights and how they are won
    • Slavery, abolition and Reconstruction
    • Jim Crow and early resistance
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: The movement takes shape, 1954 to 1961

    Analyze how court cases, boycotts and nonviolent direct action challenged segregation from 1954 to 1961.

    • Brown v. Board of Education
    • Montgomery and the power of the boycott
    • Nonviolence, sit-ins and Freedom Rides
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Landmark victories, 1963 to 1968

    Explain what the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and related laws did and evaluate their effects with evidence.

    • Birmingham and the March on Washington
    • The Civil Rights Act of 1964
    • Selma and the Voting Rights Act
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Widening the circle

    Compare the goals and strategies of the women's, Latino, Asian American and Native American rights movements.

    • Women's rights
    • Latino and Asian American civil rights
    • Native American rights
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: More movements, more rights

    Explain how the disability, LGBTQ and immigrant and language rights movements used and extended earlier civil rights law.

    • Disability rights
    • LGBTQ rights
    • Immigrants and language rights
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: How change happens

    Evaluate strategies for change and analyze primary sources by sourcing, context and corroboration.

    • Strategies and debates
    • Working with sources
    • Civic participation today
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 2 · Montgomery and the power of the boycott

Worked example: why a boycott works

  1. Black riders made up most of the Montgomery bus system's passengers.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in civil rights history: you can explain what the Reconstruction amendments promised and how Jim Crow denied it, trace the movement from Brown v. Board through Montgomery, the sit-ins, Birmingham and Selma, say what the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act and later laws did and weigh their effects with evidence, compare the goals and strategies of the women's, Latino, Asian American, Native American, disability, LGBTQ and immigrant rights movements, and analyze primary sources by sourcing, context and corroboration. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 7 to 12 studying U.S. history, civics or a civil rights elective, students preparing for history projects and debates, and homeschool families who want a complete, carefully sourced unit on the civil rights movement and the movements it inspired. It treats hard history honestly and describes current debates without taking sides.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 exhibition: loc.gov
  2. National Archives, Milestone Documents, including the Reconstruction amendments, Brown v. Board of Education and the Voting Rights Act: archives.gov
  3. National Park Service, Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail and other civil rights sites: nps.gov
  4. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, overviews of the Voting Rights Act, Title VI and the ADA: justice.gov/crt
  5. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: nmaahc.si.edu

Civil Rights and Social Change is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It describes U.S. history and general federal law for learning, not legal advice, and paraphrases copyrighted speeches and letters rather than quoting them at length. Figures marked about are rounded from published sources. It does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.