The Legacy of Segregation on Route 66

Lesson Plan Overview: The history of Route 66, like much of American history, has been marred by the legacy of segregation. In some places along the route, there were explicit laws that prevented certain racialized groups from accessing services, housing, schools, businesses, and judicial rights. In other places, segregation was more nuanced; people could be denied or given limited access based on their racialized identity, but there were no explicitly segregationist laws. In many ways, the places along Route 66 were representative of the nation's socio-political realities of the time. Through oral histories and primary source readings, students will explore how people were affected by racism and segregation along Route 66. This lesson includes an overview of the history, video clips from the documentary, Route 66: The Untold Story of the Mother Road, primary sources, a research activity, and suggestions for extension activities to dive deeper into the history. 

Note for teachers: This lesson plan will likely extend over 2-3 hours, but it can be condensed or extended depending on the time available. There are short activities throughout that can serve as warm-up activities or as closing reflections if you choose to break it up into multiple class periods. At the end of the lesson, there are extension activities for those who would like to dive deeper into the history of segregation along Route 66. 

All materials available in Google Drive and PDF formats.

MATERIALS

  1. Presentation for Lesson Plan 

  2. Secondary Source Reading: The Legacy of Segregation on Route 66

  3. Worksheet for reading

  4. Graphic Organizer for Video Clips

  5. Primary Source Analysis

  6. Research Project: The Legacy of Segregation on Route 66


    Video clips from Route66: The Untold Story of the Mother Road

    • Alberta Ellis and Clifford Clinton - MO and CA

    • Katherine Augustine - NM

    • Luz Delgadillo Moore - AZ

    • Lucia Rodriguez - CA

    • Keiko Sakatani Part Two - CA

    • Judith Valles - CA

    • Linda SooHoo - AZ

    • Geneva Spicer - CA

    • Elizabeth Threatt - OK

    More video clips:

    • Keiko Sakatani Part One - CA

    • Rosemary Natseway - AZ

    • Sarah Finegold - TX

    • Ann Blaugrund and Helen Horwitz - NM

    • Katherine Powdrell's - NM

    ACTIVITIES

    Day 1

    • Warm Up:

      • What do you know about the history of segregation in the United States? 

      • In what areas of the country did it occur?

      • What groups were affected? 

      • How did people resist segregationist practices and racism? 

      • Note: Students may need help coming up with the different ways people resisted. Some ideas to offer are: taking legal action, protesting, maintaining the language and traditions of their culture, working to establish a life for their family, and creating safe spaces for members of their community. 

    • Secondary Source Reading: 

      • Read the secondary source, “Segregation & Route 66.” While you read, underline the who was affected by segregation and how it affected them

      • Comprehension Questions:

        • What was the “Green Book”? Why was it published? 

        • What were some of the laws that discriminated against Chinese people? 

        • What happened to Japanese Americans during World War II?

        • What is something that Mexican Americans had to fear in addition to experiencing segregation and racism?

        • What was the experience of Native Americans in Indian Boarding Schools?

    • Discussion:

      • What are the benefits of using oral histories?

      • What are the drawbacks of using oral histories? 

      • What can we learn from them?

    • Show Video Clips:

      • Optional instructions: “We are going to watch clips from a documentary called Route 66: The Untold Story of the Mother Road, which tells the stories of various people, in particular, women who lived or traveled along the famous highway. The clips we will watch specifically highlight how segregation affected the lives of people along the route.” 

    • Discussion: 

      • How did segregation affect people along Route 66? 

      • What part of someone’s story was new or surprising to you? 

      • What did you learn about how people resisted segregation? 


    Days 2-3

    • Warm Up:

      • What was something new that you learned from the video clips yesterday? 

      • How can oral histories help us understand the past in a different way? 

      • What else would you like to know about the history of segregation along Route 66?

    • Primary Source Analysis:

      • Observe each source carefully. Write down both your first impressions and what you notice as you look or read carefully. 

      • Think about the historical context. What was happening in the country? How did that affect the sources? 

      • Answer the reflection questions once you have finished your analysis.

    • Discussion: 

      • What did you notice about the words and descriptions on the sources? Are there any terms that confuse you?

      • How do the sources connect to what you already know about segregation? 

      • How were groups affected differently by segregation? 

    • Research Project:

      • Pick one of the places along Route 66 and research how segregation affected that place. 

      • Find at least three secondary sources related to segregation and that place while keeping in mind that segregation can show up in many different ways. 

      • Complete the planning table.

      • Write a paragraph using specific 3-5 examples explaining how segregation affected the place you chose.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Resources for teaching race and racism:

Further reading about the history of segregation: 

ALIGNMENT WITH STANDARDS

ELA Common Core Standards: 

  • 9-10.L.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. 

  • 9-10.RH.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

  • 9-10.RH.2: Determine the central ideas or key  information in a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

  • 9-10.RH.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

C3 Framework for Social Studies: 

  • D2.His.3.9-12: Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context. 

  • D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.

  • D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.

  • D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.