Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: October 2: Thurgood Marshall
Site about the noted career of Thurgood Marshall, leading civil rights advocate and first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court. This article has information on his education, his work with the NAACP, his involvement in Brown v....
Other
Ahc: Civil Rights Movement: The Surge Forward: 1954 1960
Detailed discussion of the civil rights movement between 1954-1960 including summaries of events such as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956, school desegregation, Sarah Keys v....
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Separate No Longer?
An explantion of how the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka turned the concept of separate but equal on its head. See how they determined that the 14th Amendment was being violated when schools did not fund...
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Lesson from the Library of Congress on "the era of legal segregation in America, from Plessy v. Ferguson (1897) to Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas (1954)."
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Separate Is Not Equal: White Only
This section from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's exhibition Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education gives the history of Jim Crow laws and how they affected not only the voting rights of...
Curated OER
History Matters: Separate but Equal: The Plessy v. Ferguson Case
Read the judgment of Supreme Court justice, Henry Billings Brown, who wrote for the majority in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that codified the idea of "separate but equal" in the American justice system until it was overturned by Brown...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Brown Reactions: Black Educators
This 1954 statement, issued by a group of black educators, strongly endorses the Supreme Court's Brown ruling.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Brown Reactions: Judge Brady
This 1954 statement from Tom Brady, a founder of the White Citizens' Council movement, expresses opposition to the Brown decision.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Documenting Brown: Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped enforce the Brown ruling, a decade later.
Digital History
Digital History: Plessy v. Ferguson
A very thorough explanation of the famous Supreme Court decision about Plessy v. Ferguson. It upheld the idea of "separate but equal," which was in effect until Brown v Board of Education in 1954. See who opposed the decision, and read...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Brown Reactions: Editorials
This sampling of newspaper editorials from the mid-1950s reflects the range of public opinion and responses to the Brown decision.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Documenting Brown: Collected Excerpts
This collection of excerpts from legislation and court decisions documents key phases of the legal struggle to gain and implement equal education.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Beyond Brown: Recognize & Combat Segregation in u.s. Schools
A lesson plan on the continuing problem of school segregation that asks learners to identify instances of school segregation today, to determine the reasons behind it, and to develop a plan for combating segregation in today's schools....
iCivics
I Civics: Lau v. Nichols (1974)
This mini-lesson plan covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that required public schools to provide language supports to English and multilingual learners. Students learn how Lau's arguments relate to the landmark case, Brown...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Legacy of the Warren Court
Read about the legacy of the Warren Court, including Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board of Education and Gideon v Wainwright.
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: Massive Resistance
A chilling account of the ways Virginia lawmakers attempted to subvert the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education in 1958. Read about the Southern Manifesto, and the group of laws known as Massive Resistance.
Other
Hsi: First Days of School Desegregation
An interactive site for students to learn about school desegregation. Photographs, oral histories and questions help guide the students to their conclusions.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Plessy v. Ferguson
The decision of the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson kept black and white people separate in all public areas for many years. To find out what that meant, and to see some actual photographs, visit this page.
Other
Congress of Racial Equality: Facts About Core
This site contains in-depth information about the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, and its purpose and history.
Library of Congress
Loc: Voices of Civil Rights
Exhibition documenting the Civil Rights Movement in the United States presented by the Library of Congress. Includes personal stories, photos, and historical facts.
iCivics
I Civics: Curriculum Unit Landmark Library
This library of mini-lessons targets a variety of landmark cases from the United States Supreme Court and includes a one-page reading and a one-page activity.
US National Archives
Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Civil Rights: Demanding Equality
Teach the history of Civil Rights using this comprehensive learning module. Trace the movement from the 14th Amendment to modern times. The focus is on African American rights but also touches on women and disabled American's rights....
A&E Television
History.com: Black History Milestones
A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...