Brown v. Board of Education and the Role of the Supreme Court

Martina and Terrance visit a modern Virginian high school before their journey

While the country was divided over America’s participation in the Vietnam War, it was also divided about equal rights for African Americans on the home front, especially in the South. Martina and Terrance will look into the issue of racism, and more specifically how Virginians reacted to the country’s racial issues during the 1960s and 1970s. Along with Martina and Terrance, you will learn how the segregation of schools ended after the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case. This important case defined the role of the Supreme Court in the United States.

Essential Questions

• Why was the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education significant and how did Virginia respond to it?
• What role did Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Hill play in ending school segregation and how did it lead to the changing role of the Supreme Court?