The last few years (2004-05) have been filled with commemoration, reflection, and scholarship around the landmark Supreme Court decision, "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954). It was right and proper to take a 50-year retrospective at one of the more significant court rulings of the 20th century. It was also important to look at the…

Education will become the functioning instrument of a stable democracy by being in all its stages and dimensions an example of the democratic process. Within this framework, the desegregation of our schools can proceed; and with the desegregation of our schools, we can achieve that more difficult stage--the true integration of our schools. The…

Scholars know the history of oppression. They know that struggles against oppression do not evolve in a vacuum. They may suspect that where discrimination exists, revolt is only an inch below the surface. What many may not realize is that the African-American fought against bigotry, racism, vigilante injustice, brutal violence, lynching, terror,…

This paper describes black education during the Antebellum period and focuses on the efforts of the Freedmen's Bureau, philanthropic organizations, and the church to provide equal educational opportunities for blacks. It is pointed out that, before the Civil War, basic forms of education were provided to a few blacks by black and white ministers,…

Asserts that the Civil Rights is the clearest and most accessible example of nonviolent resistance to injustice in U.S. history. Discusses two common misperceptions among students about the Civil Rights movement. Presents a three-day classroom activity, including a bibliography and primary source readings. (CFR)

"Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" (1954) ("Brown I"), is the United States Supreme Court's most significant ruling on education, if not of all time. In "Brown I", the Court unanimously held that "de jure" racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth…

Asserts that a survey of historians indicates a divided profession in the United States and South Africa. Contends that history designed to instill national consciousness and identity risks becoming didactic and teleological. (CFR)

Presents a secondary lesson in which students examine the U.S. Constitution and decide about a simulated case of ethnic bias and discrimination. Links this case to the Japanese Relocation Camps in the United States during World War II. Provides lesson objectives, instructional procedures, and four student handouts. (CFR)

Retells the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery (Alabama) bus boycott to reflect more accurately the cultural and historical background of the boycott and the conscious decision made by Mrs. Parks. Accurate examination of the story actually enhances a child's ability to identify with the issues and the protagonists. (SLD)

Examines the Mississippi Freedom Schools, organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the 1964 summer, that were designed to empower Black students to transform society. Analyzes the schools' teaching practices based on student experiences and promoting self-discovery and expression. Identifies institutional limits in…

Born into slavery in 1856, Booker T. Washington overcame staggering obstacles to lead emancipated blacks into a quiet revolution against illiteracy and economic dependence. In his lifetime, the national focus became more democratic, and the education of adults proliferated, bringing social change. The first public efforts to educate freed slaves…

The student booklet presents short chapters illustrating the prejudice/discrimination unit of the Minneapolis Multi-Ethnic Curriculum Project for secondary schools. Fifteen brief chapters describe the ways Americans have and still do discriminate against the people of various ethnic groups. Topics cover the history and policies of the Know-Nothing…

This textbook for elementary school children is a history of African Americans from 800 A.D. to 1992 in 24 chapters. Each chapter closes with a review that lists vocabulary words to learn, and offers thinking and writing questions. Some chapters also contain activity sheets. Chapter topics include African origins, black explorers and settlers in…

This paper summarizes the history of North America, especially of the United States, from the earliest explorations and settlements through the present. Emphasis is placed on the Europeans' effect on American Indian life and the inadequate development of Indian education. Comparisons are made between the various colonizers' Indian policies before…

Designed to help students better understand the controversial issue of affirmative action, this teacher's guide supplements the thirty-minute instructional videotape of the same name. The videotape explores the history of affirmative action in the United States, including its successes, failures, and future. The videotape and the teacher's guide…