Brown+Vs.+Board

**BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION**

**What would break the back of Jim Crow America? What role did education play in the movement to desegregate America?**

**Using the links provided, analyze the landmark Supreme Court case** **//Brown v. Board of Education//** **. Cut and paste the information below into a new entry on your Unit 8 Online Notebook.** **SETTING THE STAGE** - [|**Participate in The Road to Justice activity**] **BASIC FACTS OF THE CASES** **(more than one) (check video, [|Link 1], [|Link 2] , [|Link 3] )** Make a bulleted list of the basic facts of the cases brought to the Supreme Court - **Brown vs. Board of Education**-- In Topeka, Kansas, Oliver Brown and 13 other Topeka parents argued that the elementary schools were segregated, which had a negative impact on their children. They tried to enroll their children in these white schools but were denied; hence the lawsuit -Lucinda Todd was the first plaintiff to join in the lawsuit opposing the Topeka Board of Education. -**Belton vs. Gebhart**-- In Claymont, Delaware, African American kids were not allowed to attend the local high school. Instead, they had to ride the bus for an hour in order to arrive at Howard High School, which did not provide the greatest education. In Hockessin, African Americans and Whites had separate schools, but the White schools had privileges that the Black schools didnt; the schools were certainly not equal. -**Briggs vs. Elliot--** In Claredon County, South Carolina, Black and White schools were not equal. The White schools were far superior than the Black schools, especially in regards to buildings, transportation and teachers' salaries. -Thurgood Marshall was the first African American SC justice -Set the stage for civil rights- started with schools and education and spread to other public things
 * -Davis vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County**-- In Prince Edward County, Virginia, the Black schools were terrible. These disgusting schools were quickly made buildings with no plumbing. The District Court ruled that there could be separate schools, but they had to be equal
 * Bolling vs. C. Melvin Sharpe** --In Washington, DC, African American middle schoolers were taken on a trip to go see a new White school. They requested enrollment, but were denied. The SC ruled that "segregation in the District of Columbia public schools…is a denial of the due process of law guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment…"

**MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE PLAINTIFF** **(for integration) (check [|Link 1] )** List the major arguments of the plaintiffs - During the Plessy vs. Ferguson case, the SC did not realize that equal protection of the law means that segregation is not allowed. -According to the 14th, racial discrimination is prohibited, which applies to White and Black schools -The 14th was not very clear on the topic of segregated education -According to tests, segregation is negatively affecting African American children.  **MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE DEFENDANTS** **(for segregation) (check [|Link 1] )** List the major arguments of the Defendants -The Constitution **does not state** that Whites and Blacks have to attend the same schools -The Segregation of Blacks and Whites is a local matter, and should be dealt with at the state level. -Segregation is not harming anyone. -Whites are trying to make the education of Whites and Blacks the same.

**THE CHANGE IN THE COURT** **(leading to a decision) (check** [|**Link 1**] **)** What important change happened, and what was its impact? There was a change in Chief Justice upon the death of Fred Vinson in 1953. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren in replacement, and this was important as Earl Warren was decidedly opposed to segregated schooling. What did the Court decide? The Court decided that the ideal of a separate but equal education was, in practice, detrimental to black students, and was not to be defended by an argument of its historic longevity. The Court declared that this sort of education was ill-oriented with the progressive modernism of the day, as it was only a hindrance of the past. Though the Court ruled in favor of the termination of segregation, they were vague as to the stratagems the Southern states must oversee in order to eliminate the practice. This provided segregationists an opportunity to muster up resistance against the new law. Fear and prejudice were galvanized through the persuasions of traditionally minded proponents of the inequity, and opposition founded itself stubbornly. Enforcement was going to be difficult. **THE IMPACT and LEGACY** **(Check** [|**Link 1**] **)** What is the overall importance and legacy of //Brown v. Board// ? Brown v. Board was a tremendous catalyst for a much broader campaign for civil rights and social justice. African-Americans strained against the hard-bitten adversity of white Southerners, but mettled themselves intensively for the struggle. The nation grew ever more divided, but the stage was set for an unprecedented reformation of our society.
 * THE COURT DECISION** **(in your own words) (check** [|**Link 1**] **and Link 2)**
 * ENFORCING THE DECISION** **(discuss "with all deliberate speed) (Check [|Link 1] )**