Introduction Paragraph Civil Rights Research Paper

Introduction Paragraph Hook Link/transition Roadmap (optional) Thesis: Ex. The sit ins in Nashville were an part of the civil rights movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which legally prevented discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin”(

The Introduction The introduction has a “hook or grabber” to catch the reader’s attention. Some “grabbers” include opening with a: Strong statement/headline Quotation Anecdote/story Statistic/fact Rhetorical question Dialogue/conversation

Shocking Statement/headline "We Reserve the Right to Service the Public As We See Fit”

Introduction example/headline "We Reserve the Right to Service the Public As We See Fit!“ This statement was often posted at the entrance of restaurants to warn black citizens to not enter. The sit in movement ended segregation of lunch counters and was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement. The sit ins in Nashville led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which legally prevented discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin”(

Opening with a quotation from the story or something related. “Do show yourself friendly on the counter at all times. Do sit straight and always face the counter. Don't strike back, or curse back if attacked. Don't laugh out” (watson.org). (link) These were the rules handed out to protestors during a nonviolent workshop before the first sit in in Nashville. Add Thesis.

Quote “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. Link: The civil rights movement proved love to be more powerful than hate. By use of nonviolent protests, such as the sit ins, the country embraced equality and justice. Add thesis.

Quote “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education.” Martin Luther King Junior spoke these words, thinking that education should be equal for everyone, empowering what the Little Rock Nine students were trying to achieve by attending an integrated school. T: Little Rock Nine was an important event that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (history.com).

Quote “No, n***** is going to school with my little princess” said a white father in the mob waiting to attack the Little Rock Nine. This is the kind of harassment the Little Rock Nine faced through their “first” day of attending Little Rock High School. Little Rock Nine was an important event of the civil rights movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (history.com).

Quotation “...No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” Rosa Parks stated defending the wrongful accusation that she was too tired to get up from her seat ( Freedman 25). By refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus in 1955, she helped initiate the Montgomery bus boycott. The Montgomery bus boycott was an important event that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race color, religion, sex or national origin” (

Background The Civil Rights Movement brings many images to mind. Many recall Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, but few know of the tragic death of Emmett Till that sparked the civil rights movement. Till’s death and the publicity that followed helped unite people to end segregation in the South. (Add thesis)

Anecdote/story/rhetorical ? Imagine that you are sitting at a lunch counter, then you are pulled from your seat, as a hoodlum pours hot sauce down your back. Do you think you would be able to tolerate that? This was the kind of racial injustice faced by protesters in the south fighting for freedom. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed to prevent discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin”(history.com)

Anecdote Emmett Till was a young black teenager who was brutally beaten and murdered for saying, “bye baby!” to a white woman. The death of Emmett Till was an important movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (

Statistic or fact “There are "2805 [documented] victims of lynch mobs killed between 1882 and 1930 in ten southern states” Of these, 2500 were black(Umass.edu). The lynching of Emmett Till, a fourteen year old boy, sparked the beginning of the civil rights movement. Add thesis

Statistics/Facts Over 50,000 students participated in the civil rights movement that spanned 69 cities (King Encyclopedia, Eyes of the Prize). More than 2,000 of those students got arrested just for sitting at a lunch counter for whites only (Eyes of the Prize). The Sit Ins were a nonviolent movement led by students from all over the country that targeted segregated lunch counters. It was most intense in Nashville, Tennessee, where violence ensued, and many students got arrested. The Sit Ins were an important event that led to the passage of the Civil RIghts Act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, religion, sex, or national origin” (history.com).

Introduction (Statistics/Facts) On December 1st, 1955, an African-American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This caused Rosa Parks to get arrested. She was bailed out by E.D. NIxon, the head of local NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) chapter, the next evening. People working for the WPC (Women’s Political Council) decided to spread the news of Rosa Parks’ arrest and encourage a total boycott of buses the next day. They did this by spreading flyers all over the black community. On December 5, the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) selected Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the bus boycott (history.com)

Rhetorical Question How would you feel if police who were meant to stop violence instead encouraged people to continue to beat you up? This happened to many innocent people during the Nashville Sit-Ins, a series of nonviolent “direct action campaigns’’ ( to end segregation at lunch counters throughout downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The Sit-Ins were an important part of the civil rights act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex or national origin” (

Dialogue/conversation “Big Milam ordered Bobo ( Emmett Till) to pick up the fan. Milam: "Take off your clothes." Slowly, Bobo pulled off his shoes, his socks. He stood up, unbuttoned his shirt, dropped his pants, his shorts. He stood there naked. It was Sunday morning, a little before 7. Milam: "You still as good as I am?" Bobo/Till: "Yeah." Milam: "You still 'had' white women?" Bobo/Till: "Yeah." That big.45 jumped in Big Milam's hand. The youth turned to catch that big, expanding bullet at his right ear. He dropped. They barb-wired the gin fan to his neck, rolled him into 20 feet of water.”(Huie, Look Magazine) Link-Thesis

Rhetorical Question Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?‘ Martin Luther King, Jr. By leading the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King improve the world for all to enjoy equality and justice. Thesis:

Background info The Brown vs Board of Education case was a Supreme Court case that ended segregation in schools nationwide and brought a new hope for colored people in the nation. Through this case many people have had a better life and future of the next generation. Add thesis

Background/anecdote Rosa Parks sparked the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When she was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man, the black community made the decision to boycott the buses. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an important movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (

Examples of a link, bridge, or transition to thesis

Conclusion Paragraph (4 sentences) Restate thesis in an original way. Answers how or why this is true. Give advice, or a recommendation, or a universal application on the subject. Go full circle. Relates back to your introduction.