Separate
But Equal, is this a joke?
A
WebQuest for 11th Grade (American Literature)
Designed
by
Takeisha Babb
“To separate from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as o their status I the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. We conclude that in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/085_disc.html
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/085_disc.html
Introductions
You are living in the 1930’s. You are taking a leisurely stroll down the
street on a hot summer day. The weather
is very humid and you are perspiring profusely. You walk into a restaurant, sit
down and wait to be served. Within
minutes you are approached by an angry mob of people telling you that you must
leave. You are outraged and demand an
explanation. You are then shown the sign
in the door that states “Whites Only, No Niggers Allowed.” How would you feel
in this situation? You would probably feel the same way many Negroes felt
living at this time. These types of Jim
Crow laws were commonplace. Even
literature such as To Kill A Mockingbird
displayed these laws (court scene).
However, these laws have been abolished.
Now you are in living in the year 2002.
Could you be denied service in a restaurant, shop, and etc., because of
your race? Could you be denied entrance
in a school or club because of your race? Take a minute to think about it.
Task
As a result of this WebQuest students will research
two equal protection race cases via Internet.
Students will understand that the creation of “separate but equal” was
intended to separate races while prohibiting minorities from attaining the same
education offered to Whites.
Process
1.
Students will read the facts of the first case.
A. Students will find the
following information about the case using the link above.
1)
Where and when did the case take place?
2)
Why was Plessy arrested?
3)
What was the decision of the case?
4)
What amendment did the judge use to support his decision?
2.
Students will read the facts of the second case.
A. Students will find the
following information about the case using the link above.
1)
Where and when did the case take place?
2)
List the events that brought this case to court.
3)
What was the decision of the case?
4)
What amendment did the judge use to support his decision?
3.
Students will compare the two cases and give reasons why the Plessy
decision (1892) and the Brown decision (1952) were different.
Resources
Evaluation
Students will create a newspaper article using the
facts from the Plessy v.
·
The article must be completed using PowerPoint.
·
The article should display pictures, which would reflect the time in
which the case occurred.
·
Students will present their articles to the class
English Language Standards Addressed in
WebQuest
Standard 1: Language for
Information and Understanding
Standard 2: Language for
Literary Response and Expression
Standard 3: Language for
Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Standard 4: Language for
Social Interaction
RUBRIC
1 2 3
|
CONTENT |
Vaguely
displays knowledge of historic events and characters |
Displays
some understanding of historic events and characters |
Exhibits
clear knowledge of the historic events and characters |
|
PRESENTATION |
Disorganized, Poor
speech |
Slightly
organized, Muffled
speech |
Very
organized, coherent speech |
|
CREATIVITY |
Presentation
lacked originality No Title Shows
little awareness of audience |
Presentation
showed some original ideas Title Show some
awareness of audience |
Presentation
highly original Interesting
Title Awareness
of audience |
Conclusion
African Americans won great strides with the Brown v.
B.O.E case. School eventually became
desegregated and children were bused in and given the same opportunity to learn
as white students. However, despite the
fight to eliminate segregation it still exists today. Think about certain private clubs, which only
permit a certain kind of person, or areas where minorities cannot live because
economically they are unable to afford it.
What about ‘zoning’ which prohibits children from one neighborhood to go
to school in another neighborhood. So,
how has our nation done in its quest for equality? Are we a desegregated country? I don’t think
so. What do you think?
This is a suburban high school. Does it look like
your
high school in the