Hello, and welcome to today's lesson on the Greensboro Sit-in.

This lesson is part of a broader inquiry, where we'll be looking at why the civil rights movement was more successful between 1960 and 1965.

In the course of this unit, we'll cover lots of things, mainly the different events and the reasons why there was more success in this time period.

However, for today, we're just going to be focusing on the Greensboro sit-in.

Now, for this lesson, you're going to need a piece of paper and a pen.

If you don't have one, that's absolutely fine.

Just pause the video now, get everything you need, and then when you're ready to go, come back and press Play and we can get started.

Great work, so as you can see here, we've got our lesson outcome.

So you know that by the end of the lesson you'll be able to explain the significance of the Greensboro sit-in.

But in order to do that, we're going to need some keywords.

And for this lesson we've got four keywords, desegregate, sit-in, direct action and voter registration.

Now, it'll be great for us to see these words in the context of the lesson, but before we start, I'm just gonna give you a few definitions.

So first, desegregate is to stop people being separated or kept apart by force, so to stop segregation.

To sit somewhere else and refuse to move as a form of protest is called a sit-in.

This is a word we're going to see a lot in today's lesson.

Direct action is the use of demonstrations or protests to achieve a goal rather than negotiation.

This is a word you might have already seen if you've learned about the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1960.

And finally, voter registration is the act of signing up to be able to vote, which often involves meeting certain criteria.

Now we've got our keywords, we can get started on today's lesson.

And the first part of today's lesson will be looking at the Greensboro sit-in.

Now, by 1960, although many universities had desegregated, many of the facilities, like dining facilities, for students within university towns were still desegregated.

Students across the South were increasingly frustrated, and in Greensboro, North Carolina, a group of students decided to take action.

So here we can see a photograph of how they decided to take action.

We can see a photo of four Black American students beginning a sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter.

But it's worth first considering why they chose to use a sit-in.

Now, after the success of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1957, several civil rights leaders had continued to use boycotts and sit-ins to protest for change.

This proved successful, as these acts of non-violent direct action would often trigger violence from white Americans who supported segregation.

This violence then led to greater support for the civil rights movement from the American public.

Many activists believed that this support would lead to greater change across society.

And the students in Greensboro decided to follow the examples set by the Montgomery bus boycott and other examples of non-violent direct action, staging a sit-in at the local Woolworth lunch counter on the 1st of February, 1960.

And that's what we can see on our slide here.

So the reason that these students chose to use a sit-in was because they were inspired by the success of the Montgomery bus boycott.

And remember, they were protesting against these university facilities that were still segregated, despite the fact that the universities themselves had desegregated, accepting both Black and white American students.

Now, before we go on to look at what these sit-ins involved and how successful they were, we're going to pause for a moment and check our understanding so far.

So first, I would like you to tell me whether the statement is true or false.

Universities were still segregated.

Pause the video now, and when you think you know whether it's true or false, come back and press Play.

Excellent work.

We know that this statement is false.

Universities were not segregated, but we need to think about why.

So now you need to justify your answer.

Is it because A, most universities had agreed to desegregate at some point, but this had not been achieved in practise by 1960, or B, most universities had desegregated, but many facilities for students were still segregated? Again, pause the video.

When you think you know why this statement is false, come back and press Play.

Excellent, we know that this statement is false because most universities had desegregated, but many facilities for students were still segregated.

Let's have a look at one more question.

Why did the students in Greensboro decide to use non-violent direct action? Pause the video now, make your decision and then come back when you've jotted a couple of answers down.

Excellent work.

So you might have said that they were inspired by the Montgomery bus boycott.

You might have also said that non-violent direct action would trigger violence from some groups of white Americans.

You might also have said there was evidence that this type of violence would lead to greater support nationally for the protest.

If you mentioned any of these, really well done.

Now let's have a look at what the events at Greensboro actually involved.

So we already know that the Greensboro sit-in started on the 1st of February, with four Black American students beginning a sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro.

And these students sat at a whites-only lunch counter and demanded to be served.

As they expected, they were refused service.

They remained at the counter until the store closed, and then they returned the next day.

But by the fifth day, the 5th of February, there were 300 students who had joined the sit-in at Woolworth's.

And in addition to the rapidly growing number of student protestors, there was also national and international TV coverage of the sit-ins.

And it seemed that Woolworth's would be forced to change their policies on segregation after the huge loss of business.

Now, the sit-in did not end with Woolworth's in Greensboro.

As a result of the news coverage, students across Greensboro began to carry out sit-ins in every segregated restaurant.

By March, 1960, the sit-ins had spread to 55 cities in 13 different states.

These sit-ins also received national and international news coverage, despite local authorities trying to bring them to an end by arresting the protestors.

And as a result of their efforts, by the end of summer 1960, so you could say September, 1960, student dining facilities across the South were being desegregated.

It was in this context that Woolworth attempted to quietly desegregate their lunch counter.

The actions of those four students on the 1st of February had worked.

Despite facing physical assaults and arrests by the local police, the students at Greensboro showed the potential of non-violent direct action in bringing about change.

Just like the Montgomery bus boycott, the Greensboro sit-ins became an important moment in the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr.

even visited Greensboro to congratulate the students on their success and offer them the support of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, known as the SCLC.

So before we go on to look at just how important this event was and what it would lead to in its aftermath, we're going to pause and put what we've learned in this part of the lesson into practise.

So for the first part of this practise task, I'd like you to sort these events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.

So one will be the earliest event.

Pause the video now.

Give yourself a few minutes to complete this task and come back when you think you've put these events in order.

Let's have a look at what the correct order looks like.

So first, we know that four Black students sat at a white-only lunch counter in Woolworth's Greensboro because remember, although universities had started to desegregate, many university facilities were still segregated.

Next, we know that over 300 students joined the sit-in at Woolworth's, Greensboro.

And that happened within the first five days.

So by the 5th of February, 300 students had joined the sit-in.

Then we know that these sit-ins spread to 55 cities across 13 states, gaining national news coverage.

And then finally, we know that dining facilities across the South were being desegregated, including Woolworth's, who attempted to quietly desegregate in the midst of spreading sit-ins.

Therefore, we know that the Greensboro sit-ins, started by four students on the 1st of February, turned out to be a huge success.

So now, using the task that we've just completed, that should help you with part two.

I'd like you to now write one paragraph summarising the events of the Greensboro sit-in.

And given we've just checked our chronology, you should be good to go.

I'd like you to make sure to include the following in your response, Woolworth's, lunch counter, news coverage, 55 cities, desegregated and non-violent direct action.

Hopefully you'll be able to use at least two of our keywords in this paragraph.

So pause the video now.

Give yourself up to 10 minutes to complete this task and come back when you've got your paragraph ready for me.

Excellent, now let's have a look at what your paragraph may have included.

On the 1st of February, 1960, four Black students began a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter in Woolworth's, Greensboro, to protest against the segregated student dining facilities.

These students were refused service and were then verbally and physically attacked, as were the students who came to join the sit-in.

Within five days, there were 300 students who had joined the protest, attracting national and international TV coverage.

As a result of this news coverage, the sit-in soon spread.

And by March, 1960, there were sit-ins in 55 cities across 13 states.

This large-scale effort to push for the desegregation of dining facilities proved to be successful, as by the end of summer 1960, dining facilities were being desegregated across the South, including Woolworth's.

The Greensboro sit-in was a successful example of the use of non-violent direct action.

So hopefully you were able to include some of our keywords there, sit-in and direct action, and also get all of those key details in.

If you managed to do that, really well done.

If not, not to worry, you can pause the video now and take a minute to add any extra details that you need.

So as I said earlier, in the second part of the lesson we're going to move on to look at the importance of the Greensboro sit-in and what it led to.

And one of the most important consequences of the Greensboro sit-in was the formation of SNCC, the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.

So like we said earlier, one of the reasons that the Greensboro sit-in was successful was because it demonstrated the effectiveness of non-violent direct action.

It went on to inspire students across Northern and Southern states.

In inspiring students across Northern and Southern states, the Greensboro sit-in would lead to the formation of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, a organisation that would go on to be known as SNCC.

It was founded at Shaw University in North Carolina, with the support of King and the SCLC, who gave SNCC $800 to help set up the organisation that would continue to support the desegregation of dining facilities across the USA.

And SNCC quickly grew to take a leading role in the civil rights movement.

And if we have a look at our slide here, we can see a photo of one of the leaders of SNCC, Stokely Carmichael, speaking in an interview.

So what began as a sit-in with four students at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, Carolina, specifically Woolworth's, has now become a student-led organisation that would take a leading role in the civil rights movement.

So before we go on to find out a little bit more about SNCC, we're just going to pause and check our understanding of what we've learned so far.

So I'd like you to list three details about the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.

Pause the video now, make a few notes, and then come back and press Play when you've got an idea.

Excellent, you might have said that it was founded after the success of the Greensboro sit-in, that it was known as SNCC, that it was founded at Shaw University in North Carolina.

You could even have added that was done in 1960, that they were founded with the support of the SCLC, and they quickly took a leading role in the civil rights movement.

If you managed to get three of these down, really, really well done.

Let's go on to find out a little bit more about this organisation.

So although this organisation was set up with funding from the SCLC to help continue to desegregate dining facilities across the USA, specifically in the South, in May, 1961, they changed focus slightly.

This group moved from fighting against segregated dining facilities to supporting greater voter registration amongst Black Americans.

And that's one of our key words.

Remember, voter registration is the act of going to sign up to work.

And at this time in America, voter registration amongst Black Americans was very low.

That's because of the threat of violence should they go to register to vote in an area where white American groups felt they should not have the right to vote or because of different restrictions put in place to stop them from being able to vote.

And in addition to this, they would go on to play a leading role in other landmark moments of the civil rights movement, including the Freedom Rides in 1961 and the Freedom Summer of 1963.

Here on the slide, we can see a photo of John Lewis, one of the founders of SNCC.

He's speaking in 1964, about plans to increase voter registration amongst Black Americans.

So we know that from 1961, SNCC became incredibly invested in making sure that they were doing all they could to increase voter registration amongst Black Americans.

Now, before we go on to look at a tiny bit more detail about SNCC, before we round up for today with a final bit of practise, we're gonna stop and check our understanding so far.

So firstly, I'd like you to explain how SNCC changed in May, 1961.

Pause the video now, jot down a couple of quick ideas and then come back when you're done.

You might have said that they moved from fighting against segregated dining facilities to supporting greater voter registration amongst Black Americans.

And if you did, absolutely well done because that's correct.

Secondly, I'd like you to tell me, in which two of the following events did SNCC play a leading role? So pause the video now, think about what we've spoken about in this lesson and what I've just taught you.

And when you've got an answer for which two of the following events SNCC played a leading role in, come back and press Play.

Excellent work.

So hopefully you said the Freedom Rides in 1961 and Freedom Summer in 1963.

We know that it's not the Montgomery bus boycott because it was the success of that boycott that triggered the Greensboro sit-in.

We know that the Greensboro sit-in was the event that sparked the formation of SNCC, so it can't be that one either.

Really well done.

So in the late 1960s, Stokely Carmichael and some other leaders of SNCC became more militant and joined the Black Power movement, as they felt that non-violent direct action and coordination with white Americans was not bringing the change they hoped for or expected.

Now, this is a huge change because if we remember in the Greensboro setting, they were inspired by the success of the Montgomery bus boycott.

They were committed to non-violent direct action.

But remember, Stokely Carmichael is the same guy we saw a few slides earlier, one of the leaders who was meeting for an interview.

And by the late 1960s, we can see him here in a photo speaking about his support for the Black Power movement.

So in the late 1960s, we see some members of SNCC changing their beliefs and attitudes to support a more militant response to the issues that they faced across America.

So the Greensboro sit-in did not just have immediate consequences in terms of its success.

It led the formation of SNCC, a civil rights organisation, and the attitudes of their members would change over time, representing bigger changes in the entire civil rights movement.

You've done really well.

We're just gonna check our understanding one last time, and then we're gonna put what we've learned into practise.

So I'd like you to tell me why Stokely Carmichael and some other leaders of SNCC joined the Black Power movement.

Pause the video now, jot down a couple of ideas and come back when you're done.

Excellent, hopefully you said something like this.

They felt that non-violent direct action and coordination with white Americans was not bringing the change they hoped for.

If you didn't quite manage to get that, no worries.

Just jot it down now so you can remember it later.

So for our practise task, the first thing I'm going to need you to do is read Izzy's interpretation about the importance of the Greensboro sit-in.

She says, "The sole reason the Greensboro sit-in was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement was because it marked the involvement of student activists.

The sit-in began with four students and led to hundreds more joining in Woolworth's, and then thousands more across the nation.

As the sit-ins worked and dining facilities began to desegregate across the South, SNCC was founded, evidence of the growing role of students in the civil rights movement." I want you to have a think about how far you agree with Izzy's interpretation, and then you're going to put that down into a couple of paragraphs.

So I'd like you to explain to me how far you agree with this statement, not just in a couple of sentences, but I need you to really expand on your judgement.

To do that, you're going to need to use a quotation from her response, but also evidence from this lesson to support your answer.

So pause this video now.

You can give yourself up to 15 minutes to think about how far you support Izzy's interpretation.

There might very well be bits that you think are valid.

You might think there's other bits where she might have exaggerated a little bit there, or she might be overplaying certain events.

That's absolutely fine.

Just make sure you communicate all of that in your response.

So pause the video now and when you're done, we can have a look at what your answer might have looked like.

Absolutely excellent work.

I'm so sure you've been working incredibly hard.

Let's have a look at what your answer might have included.

I agree with Izzy's interpretation to a limited extent, as I believe she's underplayed other key reasons the Greensboro sit-ins were important.

Despite this, she does acknowledge the involvement of student activists.

The involvement of student activists can be seen in the formation of SNCC.

As SNCC quickly became a leading civil rights organisation, playing a role in the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer, the Greensboro sit-in became known as the moment that students took centre stage in the civil rights movement.

However, this was not the sole reason the Greensboro sit-in was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

Izzy omits the importance of Greensboro as one of the earliest examples of successful large-scale non-violent direct action.

Although the sit-in began with four students, within five days, there were 300 students taking part in the sit-in in Woolworth's.

This sit-in then spread to 13 different states and led to the desegregation of many dining facilities across the South, including Woolworth's.

This was an important moment, as it would inspire civil rights organisations to continue to use non-violent direct action to fight against racial injustice.

Hopefully you were able to use some of our key terms there, and also, like this example answer, consider the ways that Izzy maybe makes some valid points, but misses out some really key areas of information we've looked at this lesson.

Absolutely fantastic work, you've done brilliantly.

If there's a few phrases in these last paragraphs that you'd like to get down, like omit, which means to miss out, feel free to pause the video now and make a note.

The last thing that we're going to be doing this lesson is looking at a quick summary of what we've learned today.

So in today's lesson, we have covered so many things.

We started off by looking at 1960, where by this point, most universities had desegregated.

However, facilities for students were often still segregated, as was the case in Greensboro, North Carolina.

We learned that on the 1st of February, 1960, four students began a sit-in at Woolworth in Greensboro.

This soon spread to 55 cities across 13 states.

We learned that this sit-in was successful, as by the end of summer 1960, dining facilities across the South were beginning to desegregate.

It showed the effectiveness of non-violent direct action.

And finally, we learned that this sit-in was also important, as it led to the formation of SNCC, a student-led group who would play a leading role in the civil rights movement.

We learned that some of the events they'd lead were the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer.

Absolutely fantastic work.

Really well done this lesson.