NYSBA/LYC Brown v. Board of Education

H.S. Lesson Activity no. 2

The Court Case

Application

High School Students

Lesson Time

Two to three class periods

Objectives

  1. To demonstrate an understanding of the role played by individuals in ending the "separate but equal" doctrine in education
  2. To demonstrate an understanding of the role of the NAACP in ending the "separate but equal" doctrine in education
  3. To demonstrate an understanding of that Brown v. Education was one of six cases that brought a legal end to the "separate but equal" doctrine in education

New York State Social Studies Standards

Standard 1: History of the United States and New York State

  • Students examine how the Constitution, United States law, and the rights of citizenship provide a major unifying factor in bringing together Americans from diverse roots and traditions
  • Students compare and contrast the experiences of different ethnic, national, and religious groups, including Native American Indians, in the United States, explaining their contributions to American society and culture

Materials

Handouts

References

General Web Sites

Books

  • Cottrol, Robert J., Raymond T. Diamond, and Leland B. Ware. Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture and the Constitution. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, October 2003.
  • Greenberg, Jack. Crusaders in the Courts: How a Dedicated Band of Lawyers Fought for the Civil Rights Revolution. New York: Twelve Tables Press, anniversary edition, 2004.
  • Kluger, Richard. Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America’s Struggle for Equality. New York: Knopf, 2004.
  • Juan Williams. Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary. Three Rivers Press, 2000.
  • Genna Rae McNeil. Groundwork: Charles Hamilton Houston and the Struggle for Civil Rights. Philadelphia, Pa: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983.
  • Jack Greenberg. Witness to a Landmark Decision. Twelve Tables Press, 2004.

Activities

  1. Introduce Brown by explaining that although many school desegregation cases from across the country were considered as a result of the NAACP's legal activities, six cases were eventually consolidated and together they became known as Brown v. Board of Education. Although the facts were somewhat different in each case, the purpose of all of the cases was to eliminate the “separate but equal” doctrine ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson.
  2. Divide the class into five groups. Each group should be given a summary of one of the cases to read (attached) and discuss with their group.
    • South Carolina
    • Kansas
    • Delaware
    • Virginia
    • Washington D.C.
  3. Each group should present a summary of the major points of their discussion to the class.
  4. Distribute the article about the NAACP. Direct the class to read and then discuss the goals and strategies of the NAACP.
  5. Divide the class into four groups. Three groups should be given a brief biography of one of three NAACP lawyers involved in the Brown decision.
    • Charles Hamilton Houston
    • Thurgood Marshall
    • Constance Baker Motley

    These groups should discuss the attorney's leadership role in the NAACP and the contribution each attorney made in achieving the organization’s goal of ending the doctrine of “separate but equal” in education. The fourth group should be given the transcript or a summary of the testimony of sociologist's Kenneth Clark's reports on his “child sensitivity” tests. They should give a summary of his research and explain its significance as it relates to school segregation.

  6. Distribute the brief biography of Linda Brown and the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. The class should read both and then discuss the case and its relationship to the 14th amendment.
  7. Additional Activity: After presentations students may be assigned the following essay:

    Discuss the role played by the judiciary in ending the "separate but equal" doctrine in public education.

Back to Top

  • Print