Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Brown v. Board of Education: Separate and Unequal Education Lesson"

Brown v. Board of Education: Separate and Unequal Education

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:26:51 GMT

Students will learn how laws and customs led to separate and unequal education for people of color in the United States and the efforts made by citizens to guarantee equal education in the century before the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education is the second section of the online exhibition entitled Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education.

Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education Homepage

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:50:51 GMT

Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education, an online exhibition, will help students understand an historic struggle to fulfill the American dream that set in motion sweeping changes in American society, and redefined the nation's ideals. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States. On May 17, 1954, the Court stripped away constitutional sanctions for segregation by race, and made equal opportunity in education the law of the land. Brown v. Board of Education reached the Supreme Court through the fearless efforts of lawyers, community activists, parents, and students.

Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution: Internment

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:40:18 GMT

Students will learn about everyday life in the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Living in geographically isolated camps under harsh conditions and laboring for unfair wages, internees recreated a community structure that enabled them to live as normal a life as possible as well as thrive culturally. This section of A More Perfect Union, an online exhibition, uses of artifacts from the Museum's collections, fine art, primary source documents, photographs and oral histories students will get sense of the daily life of internees as well as gaining an appreciation of the unique art and culture that emerged from the rigors of life in the camps. Oral history transcripts are available in the subsections Permanent Camps, Conditions, and Work.