This Reading Comprehension / Informational Text explores how segregation and Jim Crow laws developed after the Civil War, how they shaped daily life for African Americans, and how generations of people resisted these oppressive systems. It examines the origins of racial segregation, the legal and social mechanisms that enforced it, the violence used to maintain white supremacy, and the powerful movements that ultimately challenged and dismantled these laws. Through real historical examples, including the story of Emmett Till, students learn how discrimination was built into American society and how the fight for equality became a defining struggle of the twentieth century.

This worksheet is suitable for advanced to proficient ESL learners or native English speakers. After carefully reading the text, students are required to complete some comprehension exercises including:

• a true or false exercise
• comprehension questions
• a definitions match
• a multiple-choice exercise
• a crossword

This resource can be used as a mini-lesson, assigned for homework, or used for vocabulary-building purposes.

Total number of pages: 9
Answer key: included