Montgomery Bus Boycott & Civil Rights Act of 1964 Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Trace the path from a citywide boycott to landmark civil rights legislation. Students voice organizers, opponents, and lawmakers to weigh nonviolence, federal power, and lasting change.

Focus: Students connect grassroots protest to national policy, using speeches and statutory text.

Summary:

• Arrest sparks boycott organization.
• Nonviolent discipline withstands reprisals.
• Courts strike bus segregation.
• Senate showdown over the Civil Rights Act.
• Signing day and implementation challenges.

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, ~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

• Close reading of act provisions and speeches
• Fluency through persuasive delivery
• Analyzing tactics: boycott, litigation, lobbying
• Academic vocabulary: filibuster, injunction, public accommodations

Primary Sources

• “The Montgomery Bus Boycott” (1955)
• Civil Rights Act of 1964 (selected provisions)

Will this script meet your needs?
First try the free Korean War Script in the series below. 

Cold War & Civil Rights Bundle | 8 Readers Theater Scripts | SAVE 40%

1. The Iron Curtain & Truman Doctrine (1947)
2. The Korean War (1950–1953) [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
4. The Vietnam War and Protests (1955–1975)
5. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
6. Montgomery Bus Boycott & Civil Rights Act of 1964
7. March on Washington & Malcolm X (1963–1960s)
8. Nixon and the Watergate Scandal (1972–1974)

Standards (CCSS)

• W.11-12.2
• SL.11-12.1
• SL.11-12.4
• L.11-12.4
• CCRA.R.2
• CCRA.W.2
• CCRA.SL.1
• CCRA.L.4
• RH.11-12.1
• RH.11-12.2
• RH.11-12.3
• RH.11-12.6
• RH.11-12.7
• RH.11-12.8
• RH.11-12.9