process paper
We originally decided to research a topic about the Civil Rights Movement because it was one of the most influential events in American history that changed the nation for the better. We came across a book about Ruby Bridges when looking for a leader to research and thought that she would make a good candidate because of her bravery and qualities of leadership during the Civil Rights Movement.
For several months we became experts on the topic of Ruby Bridges and School Integration during the Civil Rights Movement by researching secondary sources and primary sources including interviews of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement. We gathered information through books, websites, biographies on Ruby Bridges, and an autobiography written by Bridges herself (Through My Eyes) to gain a vast amount of knowledge on our topic.
We decided to create a website about our topic because it would allow us to work individually on the project and manage our time more efficiently. This way we could get everything included in the project done to the best of our abilities and exchange feedback on each others pages. With a website, we can publish our work and share our knowledge with the public. This allows others to learn about the story of Ruby Bridges and understand her role in the civil rights movement. A website also allows us to expand our knowledge of modern technology and creates a more modern display of our work.
Our project relates to the National History day theme of taking stand in history because the person we chose, Ruby Bridges, stood up against protesters, segregation laws, and society for the sake of a better education for herself and future African American children. She made a bold statement in her society by being the first African American child in the American South to integrate a white school, William Frantz Elementary. She persevered through all of the struggles of integrating a school in order to make the nation better for the future and her present society. She became an example and leader for other students to follow and look up to in order to get through their own problems. She became an inspiration for the world and continues to do so through her later life. Therefore, she defines the National History Day theme of taking a stand in history through being a leader in the past and the present.