Do your students have baseball fever?  Capitalize on it in the classroom by using our unit plan on the Pythian's Base Ball Club to teach African American and civil rights history.

In the years after the Civil War, many people worked tirelessly to break down racial barriers and ensure that blacks received the social and political rights they deserved. In many places, including Philadelphia, baseball provided a platform on which to do this. Through their talent, intelligence, diligence, and drive both on and off the field, players worked to build strong ties as well as local and national support systems for the black community.

For context and for non-fiction reading to meet Common Core Literacy Standards, use our May 200 Legacies issue on Baseball in Pennsylvania.