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 desgregate 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
 * Segregation violates the 14th amendment.
 * African Americans schools were often very far away and required a long commute. Whereas the white schools were in the town.
 * African American schools were not big enough to accommodate the number of students.
 * Curriculum in African American schools was often times not up to par with that of white schools.

**MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE PLAINTIFF** **(for integration) (check [|Link 1] )** List the major arguments of the plaintiffs
 * Equal protection of laws did not allow segregation
 * The 14th Amendment allows the government to prevent any sort of racial discrimination, including segregation in schools.
 * 14 Amendment didn't say that schools could be segregated or anything of the sort.
 * Segregation has a negative effect on African American youths.

**MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE DEFENDANTS** **(for segregation) (check [|Link 1] )** List the major arguments of the Defendants
 * Nowhere in the Constitution did it mention that blacks and whites had to attend the same schools
 * States should be left free to regulate their own social affairs.
 * Segregation didn't do anything harmful to black people.
 * Whites put forth a strong effort to equalize the educations.

**THE CHANGE IN THE COURT** **(leading to a decision) (check** [|**Link 1**] **)** What important change happened, and what was its impact?

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Fred Vinson did not thing the court should end school segregation, but when he died a man by the name of Earl Warren took his place. Warren was able to produce a unanimous decision to overturn the Plessy decision. What did the Court decide?
 * THE COURT DECISION** **(in your own words) (check** [|**Link 1**] **and Link 2)**

The Court decided that separate school were unequal and that the "separate but equal" doctrine had no place.
 * ENFORCING THE DECISION** **(discuss "with all deliberate speed) (Check [|Link 1] )**

After the Court decision they told the states to put in end to segregation with "all deliberate speed". The vagueness of this notion gave segregationists a chance to organize a resistance. While many white people were fine with the outcome of the case, many whites thought it was an assault on their way of life. White supremacists and segregationists seised the opportunity to picket and express their resistance.

**THE IMPACT and LEGACY** **(Check** [|**Link 1**] **)** What is the overall importance and legacy of //Brown v. Board// ?

The initial battle for schools evolved into a campaign for social justice. There was a large resistance toe the case decision and it wasn't as enforced as most African Americans would have liked it to be.