Language Arts 11 B Brown v. Board of Education

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. In each of the cases other than the Delaware case, a three-judge federal district court denied relief to the plaintiffs on the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine announced by this Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537. The Supreme Court cites these cases because it seeks to

RIGHT establish the existing legal standard for education.

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. Because these are class actions, because of the wide applicability of this decision, and because of the great variety of local conditions, the formulation of decrees in these cases presents problems of considerable complexity. Why does the Supreme Court describe these considerations?

RIGHT to emphasize the challenges inherent in determining a ruling for a varied nation

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Why does the Supreme Court assert this fact?

RIGHT to highlight the significance of equal access to education

Read the excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States . . . How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?

RIGHT The Brown case addresses whether education systems separated by race limit citizens' privileges.

Read the excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?

RIGHT The Brown case addresses whether the plaintiffs have been afforded the full rights of citizenship.

Read the excerpt from a supporting opinion of the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896. Laws permitting, and even requiring, their separation in places where they are liable to be brought into contact do not necessarily imply the inferiority of either race to the other, and have been generally, if not universally, recognized as within the competency of the state legislatures in the exercise of their police power. How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?

RIGHT The Brown case addresses whether these laws inherently deny certain citizens equal protection under the law.

What is the fundamental idea behind the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which is mentioned in Brown v. Board of Education?

RIGHT The Fourteenth Amendment secures the rights of citizenship to all Americans.

Why did the Supreme Court take jurisdiction of Brown v. Board of Education?

RIGHT The implications of the case were important and widespread.

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. This discussion and our own investigation convince us that, although these sources cast some light, it is not enough to resolve the problem with which we are faced. At best, they are inconclusive. . . . [T]here are findings below that the Negro and white schools involved have been equalized, or are being equalized . . . This excerpt suggests that the Supreme Court Justices

RIGHT cannot find a conclusive reason to uphold separate systems of education

Which movement followed the Brown v. Board of Education decision?

RIGHT desegregation