7.2 D: Civil Rights Exploration

Civil Rights Exploration Activity 

I. Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v the Board of Education  

Read pages 15 & 16 from the Supreme Court Cases packet 

1. Answer the following questions:  

• How are Plessy and Brown related to each other? 
• What do you think Justice Harlan meant when he said that our Constitution is color blind? 
• What do you think Justice Warren meant when he wrote "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal? 
• Do you think our schools are segregated at all today?   

II. Read or view the following documents about the Little Rock 9 Documents 

1. http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_little_rock_school_desegregation_1957/ 

2. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0904.html#article 

3. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0925.html#article 

4. Mayor of Little Rock to the President  

1. http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_little_rock/1957_09_24_Mann_to_DDE.pdf 

5. The Little Rock Photo 

• http://aam.govst.edu/projects/mwysocki/images/littlerock/lr9.jpg 

6. Protest Photo 

• http://aam.govst.edu/projects/mwysocki/images/littlerock/statecap.jpg 

7. Escort Photo 

1. http://aam.govst.edu/projects/mwysocki/images/littlerock/Little_Rock_Nine_Escorting.jpg 

8. Eisenhower's message 

• http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_little_rock/Statements_by_DDE_and_Faubus.pdf 
• 9.Eisenhower's Message about results 
• http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_little_rock/1957_09_21_Statement_by_President.pdf

Answer the following questions:  

• What were three examples of how the students were treated? 
• How did the president respond to the crisis? How is this an example of federalism? 
• How does this show the weakness of the Supreme Court?  

III. The March on Washington  

Watch the following video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plsZoBRAxoI 

• Take notes during the video to assist you, then write a paragraph answer for each of the following questions.
• What was the March on Washington and what was its role in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964?  Read your textbook's version on page 923 to assist you in answering this in a paragraph 
• What was the narrative that William P. Jones (the guy being interviewed) about the March?