10 things you should know about Brown v. Board of Education

Transcription

1 10 things you should know about Brown v. Board of Education By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 745 Level 840L Image 1. Mother and daughter at U.S. Supreme Court. Nettie Hunt and her daughter, Nickie, sit on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Nettie explains to her daughter the meaning of the high court's ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Photo from Getty Images. On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court created a new law. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. Its nine judges decide on important laws. The law is called Brown v. Board of Education. It said schools could no longer be separated by race. Here are 10 facts about this important moment in U.S. history. 1. Before the Brown v. Board of Education law, many states separated blacks and whites into different schools. These states were mostly in the South. Washington, D.C., also demanded separate, or segregated, schools. The schools were supposed to be separate but equal. This idea was stated in the Supreme Court s 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. However, black schools were much worse than white schools. Many black schools lacked cafeterias, libraries, running water and electricity. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 2. Brown v. Board of Education started as five cases. In 1950 and 1951, lawsuits happened in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. The parents who brought the lawsuits to court were the plaintiffs. One of the plaintiffs was Oliver Brown. Brown was from Topeka, Kansas. His daughter was student Linda Brown. She had to travel one mile to an allblack school. Instead, she could have gone to a white school seven blocks from her house. In 1952, the Supreme Court combined the five cases. Brown s name appeared in the title on purpose. A Supreme Court justice later explained why. They used the name of someone who was not from a Southern state. They believed the problem went beyond the South. School Segregation Called "An Evil" By Judge 3. None of the lower court cases won. In Kansas, the ruling said Topeka s black schools were equal enough. Nonetheless, there was hope for an appeal to the Supreme Court. In South Carolina, Judge J. Waties Waring called segregation an evil." In Kansas, the court said segregation was harmful. 4. The plaintiffs took risks. Some plaintiffs and their family members lost their jobs. Retaliation was severe in South Carolina. Whites burned down the house and church of plaintiff Joseph DeLaine. They shot at DeLaine too. He left and never returned. Judge Waring also left. People said they were going to kill him. Thurgood Marshall Served As Lawyer For Plaintiffs 5. Thurgood Marshall was the plaintiffs' lawyer. Marshall was the great-grandson of a slave. Marshall became the top lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Marshall said segregation was emotionally damaging. After the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, Marshall declared, I was so happy, I was numb. He later became the first black Supreme Court justice. 6. The U.S. government mostly supported Marshall's case. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was less supportive. Eisenhower hesitated to use his power as president to support the decision. All Nine Justices Back Ruling To End Segregation 7. All nine Supreme Court justices ruled to end segregation in Brown v. Board of Education. The ruling said education is the start to being good citizens. It also said separating black children because of their race creates a feeling of weakness. This "may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 8. The case had a part two. The Supreme Court included no instructions in Brown v. Board of Education. It did not say how to bring blacks and whites together in schools. The second ruling was called Brown II. It was issued in May It said judges should make sure the schools in their towns integrate. Some People In The South Refuse To Integrate School 9. Many fought against the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Some Southerners refused to integrate schools. In 1958, for example, Virginia officials closed certain schools rather than open them to blacks. In 1964, only 1 percent of black children in the South attended school with whites. Those who did were often bullied. Schools did not start integrating much until the late 1960s. 10. U.S. schools today remain widely segregated. There have been some improvements. Still, Brown v. Board of Education did not end school segregation. In New York City, more than half of public schools have 9 out of 10 students who are black or Hispanic. In Alabama, nearly 1 in 4 black students attend a school where whites make up 1 percent or less of the students. A report was issued in 2014 by a group in Washington, D.C. It said poor black children are still very racially segregated in schools. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 Read the paragraph from the article. U.S. schools today remain widely segregated. There have been some improvements. Still, Brown v. Board of Education did not end school segregation. In New York City, more than half of public schools have 9 out of 10 students who are black or Hispanic. In Alabama, nearly 1 in 4 black students attend a school where whites make up 1 percent or less of the students. A report was issued in 2014 by a group in Washington, D.C. It said poor black children are still very racially segregated in schools. HOW does this paragraph support the MAIN idea of the article? It demonstrates that there are still issues with segregation despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. It shows all of the negative effects Brown v. Board of Education has had on children who are black and poor. It illustrates that Brown v. Board of Education has helped eliminate almost all segregation. It explains all of the recent improvements that have been made to Brown v. Board of Education. 2 Which sentence from the article BEST supports the article's CENTRAL idea? The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. It said schools could no longer be separated by race. Washington, D.C., also demanded separate, or segregated, schools. Whites burned down the house and church of plaintiff Joseph DeLaine. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 3 This article is organized using events in order. WHY do you think the author chose to organize the information this way? to present the facts of Brown v. Board of Education clearly so that the readers can understand what led to the ruling and what happened after it was made to explain the many problems that segregated schools caused before Brown v. Board of Education and to show how schools are much different today to highlight the differences between black schools and white schools before the Supreme Court made the Brown v. Board of Education law to list all of the positive results that have occurred since the Brown v. Board of Education law was passed on May 17, This article is organized using an events in order structure. HOW would the article be different if it were organized using problem and solution? The article may have tried to point out the differences between segregated schools in the 1950s with segregated schools today. The article may have listed all of the court rulings that lead up to Brown v. Board of Education so that the reader can trace its history. The article may have presented some of the issues black children faced in segregated schools and how Brown v. Board helped those students. The article may have talked about how Thurgood Marshall eventually became a Supreme Court justice because of his role in the case. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5

6 Answer Key 1 Read the paragraph from the article. U.S. schools today remain widely segregated. There have been some improvements. Still, Brown v. Board of Education did not end school segregation. In New York City, more than half of public schools have 9 out of 10 students who are black or Hispanic. In Alabama, nearly 1 in 4 black students attend a school where whites make up 1 percent or less of the students. A report was issued in 2014 by a group in Washington, D.C. It said poor black children are still very racially segregated in schools. HOW does this paragraph support the MAIN idea of the article? It demonstrates that there are still issues with segregation despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. It shows all of the negative effects Brown v. Board of Education has had on children who are black and poor. It illustrates that Brown v. Board of Education has helped eliminate almost all segregation. It explains all of the recent improvements that have been made to Brown v. Board of Education. 2 Which sentence from the article BEST supports the article's CENTRAL idea? The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. It said schools could no longer be separated by race. Washington, D.C., also demanded separate, or segregated, schools. Whites burned down the house and church of plaintiff Joseph DeLaine. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 6

7 3 This article is organized using events in order. WHY do you think the author chose to organize the information this way? to present the facts of Brown v. Board of Education clearly so that the readers can understand what led to the ruling and what happened after it was made to explain the many problems that segregated schools caused before Brown v. Board of Education and to show how schools are much different today to highlight the differences between black schools and white schools before the Supreme Court made the Brown v. Board of Education law to list all of the positive results that have occurred since the Brown v. Board of Education law was passed on May 17, This article is organized using an events in order structure. HOW would the article be different if it were organized using problem and solution? The article may have tried to point out the differences between segregated schools in the 1950s with segregated schools today. The article may have listed all of the court rulings that lead up to Brown v. Board of Education so that the reader can trace its history. The article may have presented some of the issues black children faced in segregated schools and how Brown v. Board helped those students. The article may have talked about how Thurgood Marshall eventually became a Supreme Court justice because of his role in the case. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 7