b e f o r e   t h e   b r o w n   v.  b o a r d   o f   e d   c a s e:

In the years before the historic Brown v. Board of Education case, life in the American South was dictated by Jim Crow laws and the 1896 ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson which defined the idea of "Separate but Equal".  Watch the videos below to learn more about life before Brown.

Please Note ** While the author of the video below discusses Georgia, his statements hold true for all of the South.
In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld Jim Crow segregation in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson.  Learn more about the case by watching the video below:
One woman tells her story:
The late Representative John Lewis speaks of his experience growing up in the Jim Crow South: 
What are the stories that you have been taught - or told - about life in this country for African Americans between 1865 [the end of the Civil War] and the 1954 - the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement?

the case of brown v. board of education of topeka, kansas

Watch the following two videos (yes, both :)) and then complete the Journal Entry.
Picture
Linda Brown Smith, shown at age 9 in 1952. AP
While named for Linda Brown and her family, the actual case was a compilation of several cases from lower courts surrounding school segregation.  
How was the case of Brown v. Board of Education a monumental case in history?  For example, how did it change history or what impact did it have?  

What challenges do you foresee the country faced in 1954 right after this ruling?  How would it be carried out and who would be responsible for that?
Want to learn more about the details of the Brown v. Board of Education case?  Click Here to view a Khan Academy lecture.

extra credit journal: thurgood marshall

What stood out to you about Thurgood Marshall's life or career?  
learn more about
T H U R G O O D
M A R S H A L L
Born in Baltimore in 1908, Marshall worked as a lawyer and civil rights activist for the NAACP.  His most famous case was that of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. 

On his path to becoming a lawyer, Marshall had studied at two Historically Black College & Universities:  Lincoln College for his undergraduate degree and Howard University Law School.  At the time he went to school, the schools of his choice were segregated.

In 1967, he was appointed by President
Lyndon B. Johnson to serve as an associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.  He became the first African American Justice on the Court - and was later succeeded by Justice Clarence Thomas after his retirement.  

Marshall died in 1993 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
A former clerk talks about her experience working for Marshall:

school segregation today:

Free-write about your thoughts, feelings, opinions or questions regarding the subject of school segregation in 2020.  What has your experience been?  What do you see?  How far have we come (or not) since the decision in Brown v. Board of Education?