1. Exploring the Historical Context of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Virtual Tour of the 1960s
Exploring the Historical Context of
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963

2. The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
What was life like during this time period?
People
Places
Events
Attitudes
Trends
Why do we need to know the historical context of this book?
Knowing about the historical context of a book better helps us understand the book—especially if it’s a historical fiction book. The historical context helps us understand the characters (their beliefs, their conflicts, their interests, their fears, their ways of speaking), the setting, the events in the story (especially the historically accurate ones), and the themes.

3. 1960s Trends: Clothing and Appearance
The top row reflects the early 1960s and thus, is the one that is most relevant to the book.
Knowing about the fashion trends during the time period in which the book is set can help us better visualize the characters.

4. Entertainment Music Songs
Beach Boys, Beatles, Temptations, Supremes, Jackson 5
Songs
Twist and Shout
Wipe Out
My Girl
Under the Boardwalk
Yakety Yak
Music becomes the focus of the Watsons’ lives at certain points in the book. Being familiar with the music they listen to will a) help us get into the story, to hear what they are hearing and b) have a better sense of the mood of a particular scene.

5. Historical Events Vietnam War John F. Kennedy Neil Armstrong
First Man on the Moon
Jim Crow Laws
This was a period of great conflict and great progress. On a smaller scale, the Watsons will experience conflicts and progress—many of which are a result of what is going on in the world around them.

6. Civil Rights Movement Plessy vs. Ferguson Brown vs. Board of Education
Rosa Parks
Martin Luther King
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Ask students what they know
Plessy (1896) = Supreme Court decided that ‘separate but equal’ is constitutional.
Brown vs. BOE (1954) = School segregation is unconstitutional
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
Little Rock Nine (1957)
Ruby Bridges (1960)
“I Have a Dream” (1963)
Civil Rights Act of 1964