Segregated Schools in the
North
James William Webb
Jr. vs. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago (1961)
Candace Gwin
Summer Fellowship 2008
National Archives and
Records Administration ( NARA )
Great Lakes Region, Chicago
Abstract:
After the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, many
school districts across the nation were pressed for immediate change.
Some school districts already had a plan for desegregation, some refused to
implement a plan, and some claimed that a plan for desegregation was
unnecessary, or so they thought. In this court case, James William Webb
Jr. vs. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago (1961), a family of
eighteen African American parents and their children are suing The Board of
Education of the City of Chicago (1961) for the charge of requiring their
children to attend a segregated school because the school was located in their
residential area, and is referred to in the case as Òthe neighborhood schoolÓ
model. While the schools in the neighborhood were close the plaintiffÕs
residence, they were over-crowded to the point where many teachers were
required to work double shifts, some didnÕt have lunch facilities or libraries,
and other major differences.
Essential Questions:
1.
What is the
difference between equality and equity? Are there times when one is more
important than the other?
2.
What are the
general reactions to segregation in the Chicago Public Schools in the 1960Õs?
What are the general reactions to segregation in the Chicago Public Schools
today?
3.
What is the
difference between segregation and racial imbalance?
4.
What are some
of the problems associated with segregation in the public schools between the
years of 1920-1970Õs? What are some problems associated with segregation in the
public schools today?
5.
What are some
benefits and or advantages of segregation in the public schools?
6.
How would you
compare the segregation of public schools in the United States before the Brown
v. Board of Education (1954) decision and today?
Lesson Summary:
The students will be examining primary documents from the Webb v. The Board of
Education of the City of Chicago (1961) decision and comparing it to the Brown
v. Board of Education (1954) decision. The students should be able to
form an opinion based on the documents regarding equality, equality and
segregation in the public schools. They will compare the opinions on the
parties involved in the case i.e. parents, lawyers, judge, superintendent and
other case affiliates. The students will compare the decision of the
judge to the Consent Decree that was established in 2003 by the parents in the
Champaign , Illinois Unit 4 school district. The students will take on
the roles of the case participants, they will form their own opinion from the
facts, and they will discuss the relevance of the case to related information
regarding segregation found in the popular media.
Objective: Students should be able to understand the meaning of
vocabulary involved in the case to distinguish and compare terms throughout the
lessons.
Lesson
2: Analyzing the Documents
Objective: The students should be able to analysis the documents
and produce a summary statement that describes the intentions of the case
participants.
Lesson 3:
Determining Point of View
Objective: Have the students complete the graphic organizer so
that they are able to identify the point of view for the Plaintiff, Defendants,
teachers, parents and the Judge in the case.
Lesson 4:
Analyzing Photographs
Objectives: Students should be able to analyze photographs from
the two historical time periods.
Lesson 5:
Comparing and Contrasting
Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast two
court different court cases.
Objective: The students will be able to form an opinion based on
the outcome of the case.