Forging Ahead, 1946–Present

Street Theater and the Collapse of Jim Crow Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

In this lesson plan, students are challenged to move beyond a step-by-step recitation of events in Mississippi’s civil rights years. Rather, they are encouraged to compare the effectiveness of various techniques used in the civil rights drama, and to discover the plan and purpose underlying the acts that brought the movement to a successful climax.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM

Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Cool Papa Bell Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

James “Cool Papa” Bell was the first native Mississippian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Starkville native’s professional career began in 1922 when he signed with the St. Louis Stars. Aside from playing for five years in several Latin American leagues, Bell spent the majority of his career playing for various teams in the Negro Leagues.

Cool Papa Bell

Theme and Time Period

Cool Papa Bell is considered to be the fastest man ever to play professional baseball. His achievements, in the Negro Leagues and in Latin America, earned his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1974. His Hall of Fame plaque reads in part, “… Contemporaries rated him fastest man on the base paths.”

The Government of Mississippi: How it Functions

Theme and Time Period

When Mississippi became a United States territory in 1798, its first government was made up of a territorial governor, a secretary to the governor, and three judges. Washington, Mississippi, served as the territorial capital. That is where the first Mississippi Constitution was drafted and sent to the United States Congress for the territory’s admittance in the Union as a state. On December 10, 1817, Mississippi became the twentieth state, and since then, Mississippi’s citizens and officials shaped state government into what it is today.

The Governors of Mississippi Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

The Mississippi History Now profiles on Mississippi’s governors offer brief summaries of the personal and political lives of each of the state’s chief executives. Although students usually are aware of the current governor and perhaps can name others who have served in the position, rarely is there enough time in the classroom to permit them a more personal glimpse into the lives of those who have served in the state’s highest elected position. Students can use these gubernatorial biographies in a variety of ways.

Catfish Farming in Mississippi Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

A casual discussion of Mississippi’s official state symbols in the classroom usually will produce some humorous answers. For example, the “mosquito” is the state insect, or perhaps it’s the fire ant! Rather than identifying the large-mouth bass as the state fish, students often will name the catfish and will only most reluctantly acquiesce when corrected. For years, the catfish has been favorite “eating” of Mississippians, many of whom caught them right out of a river or pond or bought them fresh from a local fisherman.

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