Paired Texts > The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education

by U.S. Supreme Court

1954

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

10th Grade Speech 1070L
We Shall Overcome Speech
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson
  • 1965

This rousing speech by President Lyndon B. Johnson was delivered right after civil rights protesters were brutally beaten on “Bloody Sunday.” This speech is considered one of the best presidential speeches in history, and eventually led to The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Pair “The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education” with former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “‘We Shall Overcome’ Speech” and have students think about the relationship between the decision handed down by Chief Justice Warren and the day-to-day reality of life for African-Americans during this time period. Do laws generally respond to changes in cultural sentiment, or do they affect it? Does Johnson present the same ideas in his speech that Warren does in his opinion, or are there differences? How do the speeches compare to one another in terms of tone?

10th Grade Informational Text 1410L
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • National Park Service
  • 2017

This informational text discusses the events that led up to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Pair “The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education” with “The Civil Rights Act of 1964” and ask students to consider the effects of Chief Justice Warren’s decision. How did society’s view of the Civil Rights Movement change as a result of Brown vs. Board of Education? In the context of these texts, does change happen instantaneously? Ask students to explain how America was able to move from Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

12th Grade News 1460L
PLESSY NEARS ITS END
  • The New York Times
  • 1956

The New York Times article “PLESSY NEARS ITS END” discusses the end of the monumental ruling that protected racial segregation until 1956.

Pair “The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education” with “PLESSY NEARS ITS END” to provide students more information about the case that overturned the verdict of Plessy v. Ferguson. Why do students think Brown vs. Board was the first case to successfully challenge “separate but equal”? What does the effort to overturn the “separate but equal” ruling in education paired with the ideas in “PLESSY NEARS ITS END” demonstrate about how the larger Civil Rights Movement actually found success?

10th Grade Legal Document 1600L
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District: The Dissenting Opinion
  • Justice Hugo Black
  • 1969

In the document “Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District: The Dissenting Opinion,” Justice Hugo Black expresses his disagreement with the Supreme Court’s judgment. 

Pair “The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education” with “Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District: The Dissenting Opinion” to provide students with information about another landmark Supreme Court case. Ask students to discuss how these two cases changed students’ experiences in school. How do the justices in the two texts support their opinions on the two court cases?