H.S. Lesson Activity no. 6

Document Based Questions

High School Students

One to two class periods

To demonstrate an understanding of how historical circumstances and precedent setting judicial decisions in the late 1940s and early 1950s established the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education
To demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision on government policies and American society

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

Students describe the evolution of American democratic values and beliefs as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the New York State Constitution, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other important historical documents
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

Handouts

DBQ containing excerpts from the presentation sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, Remembering Brown v. Board of Education and Related Litigation: A Tribute to the New York Attorneys Who Made Local History, which was presented on Wednesday, May 31, 2005 at 6:30 P.M. at the New York Hilton Hotel, Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York and hosted by: Kenneth G. Standard, President of the New York State Bar Association and Minority Bar Association Partners.
For a complete copy [PDF] of the transcript, click here: www.brownvboard.net/resources/nysba_bvb.pdf.

Hand out document based question and explain the source of the documents.
Students should answer the document-based question using the documents, classwork, and their knowledge of social studies.
Teachers should use the generic rubric for United States History and Government to rate this document-based essay which has four tasks.

Note: This activity may be used as an in-class discussion or as a final unit evaluation.