Summary
Can separate really be equal? Before the 1960s, Black Americans were legally segregated from white people—in schools, public places, and transportation. The policy dates back to after the Civil War, when the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution granted formerly enslaved people equal rights. In response, white Southern lawmakers began segregating society. In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that facilities could be "separate but equal." But in practice, the black facilities were usually inferior. African Americans worked to dismantle segregation, forming the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and fighting segregation in the courts. In a key milestone, NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall represented Linda Brown, a nine-year-old Black girl made to attend a faraway school in Topeka, Kansas because the closer one was all-white. 1952's Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka outlawed segregation, becoming the first major legal victory of the Civil Rights Movement. Still, the journey to integration was long and difficult. Press "play" to learn more about the history and legacy of segregation, and how its damage can still be seen in society today.
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Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka :
- What is one new thing you learned about brown v. board of education of topeka ?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining brown v. board of education of topeka .
- Draw or give one example of your own.