Exercises & DBQs

Thus far you’ve seen how the white press portrayed Coachman and Gibson primarily from a gender viewpoint while the black press relied predominately on race. Now you be the historian. This section provides exercises that challenge you to apply what you've learned by using your critical thinking skills.

There are two types of exercises. The interactive exercises provide excerpts from 1940s and 1950s newspapers that covered Coachman's or Gibson's career and ask you to determine whether they come from the white or black press. The practice DBQs (document-based questions) provide AP high school students an essay question and accompanying sources that meet the requirements of the APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) exam. Although these are designed specifically for high school students to practice for the AP exam, college undergraduates might also find them good preparation for an exam that deals with twentieth-century race, gender, or civil rights issues. Click on the appropriate box below to take you to the exercises or the practice DBQs.