Civil Rights

SUBJECT: U.S. History

GRADE LEVEL: 11^th 

TOPIC:

Civil Rights (segregation, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education)

TEKS:

Chapter 113.32(c)

(1) (B) apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods

(2) (A) (B) analyze political and social issues

(7) (A) trace historical development of the civil rights movement in 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including the 13th, 14th, and 15^th amendments

(C) evaluate government efforts to achieve equality in the United States

(24) (A) locate and use primary sources

(B) analyze information

OBJECTIVES:

1)  Students will understand the effects of segregation.

2)  Students will analyze the effects of Supreme Court decisions.

3)  Students will trace the interpretations of the 14th amendment.

 4) Students will utilize a work of art to explore the topic of segregation.

RESOURCES:

Textbook (material on segregation, Civil Rights movement, 14th amendment)

Summaries of  Plessy v Ferguson and Brown v Board of Education (do not give decisions to students until you have discussed the case)

Background information on Russell Lee, FSA photographer (Lee worked for the Farm Security Administration (FSA), a New Deal program established in 1935 to help American farmers cope with drought and depression. He documented rural life with photographs.)

Friendly, Fred and Elliott, Martha. The Constitution: That Delicate Balance. New York: Random House, 1984.

Students will need access to library for research.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Regarding photo:

1)  What catches your eye in this photograph?

2)  If you were the subject in this photograph, what effects would this arrangement have on you?

3)  When did U.S. become segregated?  What is the difference between jure and de facto segregation? (de facto is a term used to denote a condition accepted as fact, in contrast to a condition accepted as legal, de jure)

Regarding Plessy v Ferguson, 1896:

1. Should the equal protection clause protect all persons against laws which segregate them from the rest of society?

2. Do you think the people who wrote the Fourteenth Amendment meant to protect blacks against the kind of law Louisiana passed?

3. Do you think that separate facilities are really usually "equal"?  (teacher should give examples)

4. What is the importance of Justice Harlan's dissent?

Regarding Brown v Board of Education, 1954:

1. What kind of subjective factors might make separate schools unequal in a public school situation?

2. Do you think separating the races causes a feeling of inequality or unfair treatment?  Explain.

3. All Americans pay taxes to support the schools, parks, golf courses, court houses, and other publicly owned facilities. Do you think it is a denial of equal protection to tell blacks that they cannot use facilities they help pay for?  Explain.

ASSIGNMENT: Create a "One-Pager"

On a  single page (minimum 8" x 10", maximum poster) trace the interpretation of the 14th amendment from its ratification to 1964 and explain why it was interpreted differently.

Each one-pager must include:

1) At least three visual elements (photographs or drawings). Students will research on their own for the other images.

2) Summary and explanation of  changes in interpretations not to exceed 100 words (per change).