Focus: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

Explore with your students the landmark 1954 Supreme Court school segregation case, Brown (et al.) v. The Board of Education of Topeka (et al.), which overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of "separate but equal" facilities for the races and opened the door for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Eight critical primary source documents, including United States District and Supreme Court exhibits, expert testimony, and rulings; the front page of the May 17, 1954 issue of the Topeka State Journal; and The Southern Manifesto, graphically illustrate the crucial role Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka played in redefining what it means to be equal in America. Support Materials: * Illustrated Broadsheet Essay * Timeline * Critical Thinking Questions with Response Key * Recommended Reading List * Annotated Map 8 Primary Source Documents: * Photographs Filed in U.S. District Court in the Case of Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1951 * Complaint Filed with U.S. District Court in the Case of Brown et al. v. The Board of Education of Topeka, February 28, 1951 * Expert Testimony by Dr. Kenneth Clark on the Psychological Effects of School Segregation, February 27, 1952 * Excerpts from the Opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown et al. v. The Board of Education of Topeka et al., May 17, 1954 * Congratulatory Note Sent to Chief Justice Warren by Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter, May 17, 1954 * Front Page of The Topeka State Journal, May 17, 1954 * United States Supreme Court Order to Implement Its Ruling in the Case of Brown et al. v. The Board of Education of Topeka et al., May 31, 1955 * The Southern Manifesto, Taken from the Congressional Record, March 12, 1956