WebQuest:
HAVE WE FORGOTTEN ABOUT
“SEPARATE BUT EQUAL”
WITH RESPECT
TO HUMAN RIGHTS?
Recently,
a student from a
You
decide to start a case against the Department of Education from
Your
task in this Webquest is to (1) show the social
conditions prevalent in the American South during the 20th century,
between the cases of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education.
You will produce a two-page
typewritten paper to do so; (2) use CompuLegal to summarize the case of Brown v. Board of Education in terms of
the facts of the case, the arguments pro and con, and the decision; and (3) create a two- to three-page legal brief
showing how the decision and impact of Brown
v. Board of Education can be applied to your client’s case against the
Department of Education’s minischool application
process.
1.
Using
the websites provided in the Resource Section, research the social conditions that
pertain to the American South in the years after Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and carefully write an essay of at least two
pages in length on segregation in the
2.
Using
CompuLegal, answer the following questions (either on
a separate sheet of paper or in the space provided in CompuLegal
itself):
a)
Can
you summarize the facts of the
case in Brown v. Board of Education?
b)
Can
you present the logical sequence of events by studying a visual of the
case?
c)
On
the CompuLegal Reasoning page, explain the arguments for
both sides in the case. What are the precedents
that apply to Brown? (How does this case relate to Plessy?) Can you think of how the
Constitution
and the Bill of Rights apply to this case?
3.
Show,
by preparing a legal brief of at least two pages, how the cases of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board
of Education, as well as other restrictive state laws (such as Jim Crow laws
on segregation in the American South) relate to your client’s case. Answer: How can your legal brief be used to show that your client’s argument against the NYC Department
of Education is justified?
for Brown v. Board of
Education:
CompuLegal
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/05/17/bush.brown.ap/index.html
A CNN story on the
commemoration of the Brown decision.
http://www.lib.umich.edu/exhibits/brownarchive/
Brown v. Board of Education archive from the
http://www.ed.gov/free/bveb.html
Brown v. Board of Education archive from the U.S.
Department of Education
http://brownboard.gov/foundatn/missproj.htm
Brown v. Board of Education 50th
Anniversary Commission (
for Plessy
v.
http://www.watson.org/-lisa/blackhistory/post-civilwar/plessy.html
http://www.law.umke.edu/faculty/projuects/ftrials/conlaw/sepbutequal.htm
for the conditions during the
social changes in the American South (1890’s-1950’s):
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/segregation.asp
In order to obtain your grade, the guidelines are
as follows:
Grade A
1.
Showed
a complete and detailed understanding of the topic and task to be completed.
2.
Successfully
discussed similarities and differences.
3.
Richly
supported the task using relevant facts and examples.
4.
The
paper was typed and checked for spelling and grammatical errors.
Grade B
1.
Showed
a good understanding of the topic and task.
2.
Successfully
discussed similarities and differences.
3.
Included
relevant facts and examples to support opinions and perspectives.
4.
The
paper was typed and checked for spelling and grammatical errors.
Grade C
1.
Showed
a satisfactory understanding of the topic and task.
2.
Completed
most aspects of the task.
3.
Included
some facts and examples to support opinions and perspectives but not in depth.
4.
The
paper was typed and checked for spelling and grammatical errors.
Grade D
1.
Showed
little understanding of the topic or task.
2.
Attempted
to address task but provided little relevant information.
3.
Included
little facts and examples.
4.
The
paper was typed and had minor spelling and grammatical errors.
Grade F
1.
Did
not address the topic or task.
2.
Included
no relevant facts and examples.
3.
Paper
not typed and many spelling and grammatical errors.
Social
Studies:
1.
Analyze
how the values of the nation affect the guarantee of human rights and make
provision for human needs.
2.
Analyze
the sources of a nation’s values as embodies by its constitution, statutes and
important court cases.
3.
understand how the
4.
Both
the written document and the oral report will be assessed against the following
rubrics.
English
Language Arts:
E1c Read and comprehend informational
materials.
E1d Demonstrate
familiarity with a variety of public documents.
E2b Produce a report of information.
CONCLUSION
Having
successfully completed this assignment, you are now able to:
1.
Analyze
a case forming an opinion based on the facts of the case.
2.
Research
a topic using the Internet as a source.
3.
Compare
and contrast different legal cases.
4.
Apply
a legal precedent to a current legal problem.