Brown+v.+Board




 * = **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.**  ||   ||=   ||

-Occurred in Topeka, Kansas. -African American parents filed a case against Topeka's policy of segregated schools in 1951. -The conflict was the harmful mental effects of segregation on African American children. -The plaintiffs were Oliver Brown and 13 other parents from Topeka. -The first decision came from a federal court of three judges, then the plaintiffs' appeal went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. -Lawyers argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was incorrect because of a misinterpretation of the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment. Equal protection of the laws did not allow segregation. -The 14th Amendment prohibited racial discriminations in public, included public schools. -The 14th Amendment did not say clearly if the states could establish segregated schools. -African American children were tested for psychological harm due to segregation and there were severe effects. **MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE DEFENDANTS (for segregation) (check [|Link 1])** -The Constitution did not specifically say that whites and African Americans must attend the same school. -States should regulate their affairs. -Segregation was not harmful to African Americans. -Whites were doing their best to make the schools equal, but since slavery had just ended, it would take a while before African American children would be able to learn with white children. -Many judges did not think the constitution had enough authority to end segregation. They also believed that a decision to integrate schools could not be enforced. -In 1953, Chief Justice Fred Vinson died and President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren. Warren provided leadership to produce a unanimous decision to overturn Plessy. -Chief Justice Earl Warren agreed with the civil rights attorneys that it was not clear in the 14th Amendment if states could establish segregated schools. -Education was crucial and racial segregation prevented African American children from equal protection. ** ENFORCING THE DECISION (discuss "with all deliberate speed) (Check [|Link 1] ****)** -The Court ordered that states end segregation "with all deliberate speed." -This gave segregationists a chance to organize resistance, which they did so quickly. -Americans remained divided on the issue of segregation. -African Americans wanted the Brown decision better enforced and were surprised at the resistance they met from white segregationists. -Segregationists underestimated the determination of African Americans. -The small fight for integrated schools widened into a national campaign for social fairness. -The movement now includes racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities.
 * BASIC FACTS OF THE CASES (more than one) (check video, [|Link 1], [|Link 2], [|Link 3])**
 * MAIN ARGUMENTS OF THE PLAINTIFF (for integration) (check [|Link 1])**
 * THE CHANGE IN THE COURT (leading to a decision) (check** [|**Link 1**]**)**
 * THE COURT DECISION (in your own words) (check** [|**Link 1**] **and Link 2)**
 * THE IMPACT AND LEGACY (Check** [|**Link 1**]**)**