Time: 1 class period
Materials: Grape Boycott Simulation and web page and Montgomery Bus Boycott simulation and web page ready to run on one computer for each group of 3-5 students.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
Procedure:
1. Begin class by making sure that students know what a "boycott" is, how and why they are used as a means of protest, and how they work to bring about change. [A boycott is when consumers of some product or service choose to not purchase that product as a means of protest. By not purchasing the product, they hope to bring about change by bringing economic pressure to bear on the provider of that product or service. Boycotts are only successful when a critical mass of those consumers decide to stop purchasing the particular product or service.]
2. Explain or review that fact that boycotts were used in two important civil rights movements in recent history: the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56 and the United Farm Workers boycott of table grapes (and other produce) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today’s activity will provide an opportunity to learn more about these two boycotts and to compare how each was implemented.
3. Form groups of students at each computer. Explain that their job is to spend time with BOTH simulations and web pages in order to learn about each boycott and to complete the following task: On a sheet of paper, draw two columns and list in one column all the similarities of these two boycotts and in the other column list all the differences between the boycotts. Be as complete as possible. Monitor time so that students spend about 15 minutes manipulating each simulation and web page.
4. When students have completed their charts and thoroughly reviewed each simulation and web page, compare responses in a large group discussion. First, compile all the ways in which the boycotts were similar. While answers will vary, discussions should certainly include the role of charismatic leaders, the importance of effectively communicating the importance of the boycott, reaching out to potential supporters, and patience over a long period of time. Then, list and discuss differences between the two boycotts. Length of time is one difference, as is the relative support of the government. Another difference is that the bus boycott affected only one city while the grape boycott was a national effort. The grape boycott also had to deal with "scab" labor as a tool of the growers while the bus boycott didn’t have a labor component to it.
5. Continue by discussing the effectiveness of boycotts as means of bringing about social change. When are boycotts "called for" and when are they potentially less effective? What are the critical elements of a successful boycott? Finally, in what ways did these simulations realistically portray these two historical boycotts? How might you suggest that they could be improved? If time allows, students can return to their groups and "play" with the simulations and see what happens when, for example, Martin Luther King or Cesar Chavez are removed from the simulations.
6. Conclude by asking students to write a news account of either of the boycotts that shows their understanding of the boycott and the surrounding history.