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Civil Rights in the USA

Overview

Both Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama are steeped in the history of the US Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s.  Immerse your students in the harrowing cultural and social history of the region as they walk in the footsteps of some of its most famous names, including Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

A trip to the National Center for Civil Human Rights in Atlanta will not only deepen students’ understanding of this era, but also contextualise it within the framework of the modern fight for human rights around the world.

Our Suggested Itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Take a morning flight to Atlanta, Georgia and travel to your accommodation in Montgomery, Alabama.

    Settle into your new surroundings with a Civil Rights walking tour of Montgomery.

  2. Day 2

    Enjoy a morning tour of the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and Parsonage Museum, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was pastor, while he organised the Montgomery Bus Boycott!

    Learn how 21 young people helped to change US history using nonviolent protest, at the Freedom Rides Museum, housed in the old Greyhound Bus Station.

    Finally, visit the Legacy Museum and Memorial: a harrowing journey through the darker side of US history, focusing on the enslavement of African Americans, racial violence, segregation and bias.

  3. Day 3

    In the morning, gain an insight into the famous story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the Rosa Parks Museum.

    In the afternoon, visit the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute in Selma.

    Spend some free time exploring Selma, including the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge, where some 600 civil rights marchers were attacked on Bloody Sunday, 7th March 1965.

    Let us know if you’d like to add on a visit to the Slavery & Civil War Museum or the Selma Interpretive Center!

  4. Day 4

    Today you’ll be exploring Birmingham, Alabama.

    First up, visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute which traces the journey of the civil rights advocates of the 1950s and 60s.

    Stop by at the scene of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, carried out by the KKK in 1963.

    Spend the afternoon exploring the Birmingham Museum of Art, for some light relief, before travelling back to Montgomery.

  5. Day 5

    In the morning, travel back to Atlanta, to visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, which connects the American civil rights movement to today’s human rights struggles around the world.

    Travel on to the airport and take an overnight flight back to the UK.

  6. Day 6

    Arrive back in the UK and return to school.

School Trip Accommodation

Accommodation

We use safe and secure accommodation especially suited to schools.  Our accommodation is usually 2* or youth hostel standard, with no bed-sharing for students.  All accommodation we use is audited, and our auditing regime is verified by independent experts.