Harlem Hellfighters & Civil Rights – Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Students march with the 369th Infantry from Harlem rallies to French battlefields.

Focus: Students march with the 369th Infantry from Harlem rallies to French battlefields.

Summary:
Jazz rhythms, Croix de Guerre heroics and Red Summer realities drive this 9‑page script on valor and discrimination.

Script Summary:

• Du Bois urges enlistment despite lynchings.
• Segregation at Spartanburg camp.
• Henry Johnson’s night‑raid defense.
• Paris parades and Fifth Avenue homecoming.
• Veterans debate civil‑rights hopes.

What’s Included:

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides, if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to word/pdf/ppt/etc)

• Readers Theater script (9 pages, 10 scenes, 14‑15 characters, editable Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher Guide (10 pages) with scene summaries, primary‑source context, CCSS alignment, discussion questions
• Student Worksheet deck (25 Google Slides) covering vocabulary, short‑answer, analysis & extension tasks
• 20‑question self‑grading Google Forms quiz

Skills Addressed:

• Analyzing Du Bois’s 'Close Ranks'
• Fluency through multi‑dialect roles
• Discussing racism vs. patriotism
• SAT vocab: despotism, syncopation

The worksheet deepens learning with:

• 10 text‑based comprehension questions
• 5 higher‑order analysis prompts
• 5 optional research extension questions (use of primary‑source links)