Brown+V.+Board+of+Education

//BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION// **What would break the back of Jim Crow America? What role did education play in the movement to desgregate America?**

**SETTING THE STAGE** - ** Were you successful? What did your learn in the activity (just think about it ....) ** I was successful in this activity. I learned that you have to stand up for what you believe in, such as schools for blacks. If you don't stand up for your self then nothing will change for the better.
 * = **Using the 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.** ||  ||=   ||

** THE BASIC FACTS OF THE CASES ** -African American parents and local activists from the NAACP challenged Topeka’s policy of segregated schooling. -A lot of schools challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. - None of the cases would have been possible without individuals who were courageous enough to take a stand against the segregated system. -Some people that were apart of the NAACP  tried to seek help in preparing a lawsuit against the school board.
 * Make a bulleted list of the basic facts of the __cases__ brought to the Supreme Court **

** THE MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE PLAINTIFF ** ** List the major arguments of the plaintiffs ** - In //Plessy v. Ferguson,// the Supreme Court had misinterpreted the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Equal protection of the laws did not allow for racial segregation. - The Fourteenth Amendment allowed the government to prohibit any discriminatory state action based on race, including segregation in public schools. - The Fourteenth Amendment did not specify whether the states would be allowed to establish segregated education. - Psychological testing demonstrated the harmful effects of segregation on the minds of African American children.


 * THE MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE DEFENDANTS List the major arguments of the Defendants **


 * The Constitution did not require white and African American children to attend the same schools.
 * Social separation of blacks and whites was a regional custom; the states should be left free to regulate their own social affairs.
 * Segregation was not harmful to black people.
 * Whites were making a good faith effort to equalize the two educational systems. But because black children were still living with the effects of slavery, it would take some time before they were able to compete with white children in the same classroom.

** THE CHANGE IN THE COURT ** The Supreme Court doubted the constitutional authority of the Court to end school segregation. And the justices worried that a decision to integrate schools might be unenforceable.
 * What important change happened in the Supreme Court, and what was its impact? **

** THE COURT DECISION ** They said that they didn't think it was intended that schools became segregated. And School was most important nowadays and since blacks are getting discriminated against with schools it is violating the 14th amendment.
 * What did the Supreme Court decide in the landmark decision? **

**ENFORCING THE DECISION** The Brown decision declared the system of legal segregation unconstitutional. A lot of white thought it an assault on their way of life, although some thought it was a good decision.
 * What was the Court's statement about the enforcement of the decision? What happened to the enforcement? **

**THE IMPACT and LEGACY** African Ameicans still struggled all over the US. Americans remained deeply divided over the issue of racial equality. A lot of whites didn't know how hard the blacks would try to get them to be equal.
 * What is the overall importance and legacy of //Brown v. Board//? **