Have students read Walter White’s summary of the causes of the Red Summer race riots, published in the NAACP’s magazine The Crisis. In his article, White describes what he sees as the eight central causes of the race riots of 1919.

Divide students into two large groups and assign each group one of the eight causes. (You can choose the two causes that you most want your class to focus on for this activity.) Each group should have a class period to prepare an argument that supports that their assigned cause was the leading cause of the Red Summer of 1919. They can use the Walter White article, primary sources, and internet research to prepare their arguments.

Hold the debate during the next class and follow this schedule:

  • Opening Statements: 3 minutes per group
  • Argument and Evidence: 5 minutes per group
  • Rebuttals: 5 minutes per group
  • Closing Statements: 3 minutes per group

Have students complete a written reflection after the debate answering the following question with their own opinion:

  • To what extent did the Great Migration cause the racial violence of the Red Summer?

Debate: Red Summer of 1919