The Dream Museum: Nate Thomas

the dream museum

Created by: Nate Thomas

Come along and learn about some of the biggest events in Civil Rights history!

Legislation

MLK "I Have a Dream"

Rosa Parks

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Rosa Parks

On December 1st, 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks got onto a bus to take a ride home. However, this wouldn't be a ordinary ride. You see, Parks was a black woman, and back then black people had to give up their seats to white people if a white person wanted to sit there. So, when the bus got full and a white man walked onto the bus, Parks was forced to stand up. Except, she didn't. Rosa Parks stayed sitting down and refused to give up her seat. This was looked on as a crime, as she was soon arrested for her actions. However, that day would have a ripple effect on the Civil rights movement. The outrage in the African American community as a result of Rosa's arrest caused the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which caused the bus company millions of dollars in revenue and forced the bus companies to desegragate.

The Woman Who Sparked Change

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Artifacts

This is the bus Rosa Parks was arrested on. Wow, this thing looks straight out of a cartoon. It's crazy to think this bus contributed so much to the Civil Rights movement. But this begs the question, what if Rosa didn't bus home? What if she gave up her seat? Would Civil Rights ever have the momentum to break through and gain the rights they have today?

Artifact 1

"The Bus "

This is the mugshot of Rosa Parks after she was arrested. And, if you look close enough, I think you can see a hint of a smile. She doesn't show a look fear. but a look like she's happy! Imagine getting arrested for something as simple as what happened to her, and not even giving as much as a frown. I would be freaking out! What a woman!

Artifact 2

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"The Woman Who Sparked Change"

Artifacts

This is the NCAAP, a group of people that advocated-and still advocate today-for African Americans rights. This was the organization that made sure that the protests that came after Parks' arrest were effective and known. Without this group, Rosa Parks would just be known as the woman who said no, but with the NCAAP, she was the woman who sparked change.

Artifact 3

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August 28, 1963. The Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are flooded by 250,000 blacks and whites alike who want equal rights. The crowd is ecstatic , you can feel the energy in the air. With such a prodigeous crowd, there was only one person who could lead and inspire them, Martin Luther King Jr. His speech started on script, talking about our nation's past, and how there is still work to be done to make these words on the Constitution true: "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.". But, King was such a great speaker, he went off script to speak the amazing words we call the I Have a Dream speech. In this, he talks about his hopes that one day, his kids would be able to join hands with white kids, and live in harmony. He also talks about how one day, black people won't be "judged by their skin, but by the content of their character.". Through these passionate words, Martin Luther King Jr inspired thousands to push through and fight longer until Congress had to fold and pass new legislation for better rights.

Martin Luther King JR

He Had a Dream

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Artifacts

The Lincoln Memorial honors one of the greatest presidents of all tome, Abraham Lincoln. This thing is huge! Lincoln ended slavery and fought for black people to have more rights, so Martin Luther KIng spoke here to honor that commitment and to remind the people there is still hope for a better tomorrrow.

Artifact 1

"The Lincoln Memorial "

This is the script for the I Have a Dream speech, and while it's remembered for MLK's improvosation, he also had a great written script. Would King's speech had the same impact of he didn't go off script? Would it still be remembered as the powerful, enthusiastic thiing we see today?

Artifact 2

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"He Had a Dream"

Artifacts

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"The Crowd"

This is a picture of the huge crowd Martin Luther King Jr gave his speech to. The courage it must've taken to give a speech to this crowd is crazy! Would you have given a speech like that to this many people? It's ok if you can't, because MLK was a amazing speaker!

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Legislation

Progress is Made

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Finally, in the years between 1964 and 1965, Congress finally started passing laws that outlawed acts giving black people a harder time living. They started in January 1964, outlawing the poll tax, or a fee you have to pay to vote. Then, in June 1964, segragation was outlawed and you couldn't be discriminated on based on "race, religion, sex, or national origin.". Finally, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, outlawing any and all tests you had to take before voting, fully ensuring that black people could get their voice heard. In the end, Civil Rights wasn't a peaceful movement. The hard work, blood, sweat, and tears that went into this revolutionary change was prodigeous, but that never stopped people from trying to make a difference. From Rosa Parks, to Martin Luther King Jr, to new people making a change today, we should all be resillient, and fight for what we think is right.

Artifacts

This is a picture of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Behind him, you will find Martin Luther King Jr, This act made sure that black people got the ability to have their voice heard when they vote. But this begs the question, what if this act wasn't signed. Would African Americans still be looked down upon? Would they still be so relevant in today's society?

Artifact 1

"Voting Rights Act of 1964"

This is a protest of the poll tax, and one that would play a big role in outlawing the poll tax. The pole tax made African Americans pay taxes to vote, which wasn't good since people of that race were usually poor and couldn't afford to pay that tax. Outlawing this allowed for black people to vote freely, but was only possible due to these protests, which made this issue known.

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"Progress is Made"

Artifacts

This is a newspaper with the front headlines declaring segragation unconstitutional. Keep in mind, people didn't have smartphones back then, so this was many people's first sight of this huge news. Segragation was one of the biggest boundries towards African American living good lives, and now that it was gone, black people could have the same utilities white people had.

Artifact 2

"The Newspaper"

"The Protests"

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