How people change society

Civics & Economics · Citizenship in Action · ages 9-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What method did people use in the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
- They wrote a new bus schedule
- They stopped riding the buses
- They asked for one new bus stop
Which group worked for many years so women could vote?
- Suffragists
- The king or queen alone
- A single senator
Lasting change usually happens because of one dramatic moment, not many people working together.
Circle one: True False
How did the bus boycott apply pressure on the bus company?
- It lost money from empty seats
- It ran out of buses to drive
- A different city told it to change
A movement used speeches, marches, and petitions for over 50 years before women could vote. What is this movement usually called?
- The industrial movement
- The space race
- The suffrage movement
Why did it take many years for women to win the right to vote?
- Because only one law needed a signature
- Because lasting change usually needs many people working together over time
- Because voting machines had to be invented first
A class wants better cafeteria food. One kid complains once and gives up. What is most likely to happen?
- Nothing changes, because lasting change usually needs many people trying different methods over time
- The school closes the cafeteria
- The food changes right away
Maya says a boycott means writing a letter to a leader. Is she right?
- Yes, that is exactly what a boycott is
- A boycott means voting for a new leader
- No, a boycott means refusing to buy or use something to apply pressure

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

They stopped riding the buses · Refusing to ride the buses is called a boycott. It cost the company money.
Suffragists · Suffragists were campaigners who petitioned, marched, and organized for decades to win the vote for women.
False · It's the opposite. Lasting change almost always needs many people and many methods over time.
It lost money from empty seats · When people stopped riding, the company lost income until it agreed to change.
The suffrage movement · This decades-long effort to win women the vote is known as the suffrage movement.
Because lasting change usually needs many people working together over time · Big, fair changes rarely happen fast. They need many people pushing together, again and again.
Nothing changes, because lasting change usually needs many people trying different methods over time · One person, one try rarely works. Real change usually takes many people and different methods, over time.
No, a boycott means refusing to buy or use something to apply pressure · A boycott is refusing to buy or use something, like riding a bus, to pressure someone to change.