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

The Road to Brown

A southern rural schoolhouse shows that facilities were not equal prior to Brown v. Board of Education

In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public facilities were legal as long as the facilities were “separate but equal.” This meant that bathrooms, water fountains, modes of transportation, and even public schools became segregated. The NAACP made efforts to prove to the Supreme Court that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The schools that African Americans attended were underfunded and many times poorly constructed. Watch The Road to Brown from eMediaVASM to investigate the roots of the Brown v. Board of Education case. While you are viewing this video clip, think about the following questions:

• How was the “separate but equal” doctrine established, and what did it mean for African Americans?
• What motivated the plaintiffs in the legal cases that led to Brown v. Board of Education? What were their goals?