1
"Plessy v. Ferguson." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014
The Plessy v Ferguson case provides the backdrop for everything that will be discussed with regard to segregation in the United States. This unit focuses on education, but the doctrine of "separate but equal" which emanated from the Plessy decision gave the foundational justification of public school segregation during the Jim Crow era. Particular attention in the Plessy decision should be paid to Justice Harlan's dissent, especially his views on racial superiority in the eyes of the Constitution, which he poignantly declares is "color-blind".
2
"Gong Lum v. Rice - 275 U.S. 78 (1927)." Justia US Supreme Court Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2014.
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Lum v Rice is illuminating for those unfamiliar with the struggles of racial groups other than African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. It provides an interesting look at the Supreme Court's, as well as the appellants' views on racial differentiations. This is not a challenge to school segregation as an institution, but rather a challenge to the grouping of Asian Americans as a "colored race".
3
Klarman, Michael J. From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004. Print. (146)
Klarman's book provides an excellent and comprehensive look at the Jim Crow era through the lens of Supreme Court cases and the societal context around which they arose. The sections cited within the unit are drawn from the third chapter of his book where he discusses public education during the Interwar Period. This section provides not only Klarman's analysis but notes various sources that are particularly relevant to those seeking to understand the era. Particular attention should be paid to the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois referenced by Klarman.
4
Ibid., 147.
5
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "The Case for Reparations." The Atlantic [New York] n.d.: n. pag. 21 May 2014. Web.
While the title of this text lead me to believe that this would be an article discussing the injustices suffered as a result of slavery, I was pleasantly surprised to find a text that links the injustices of slavery to the practices of systematic white supremacy during the Jim Crow era. This article was fascinating and Coates' description of American history as one of racial plunder was both provocative and enlightening. This is a must read for anyone preparing to teach this unit.
6
Ibid., 148.
7
Mendez v Westminster. Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. 14 Aug. 1947. Print.
The Mendez decision, when read side by side with the Plessy decision, shows the shifts taking place in society and in the resulting jurisprudence. Many of the arguments used in Mendez can later be found in the more famous Brown v Board of Education of Topeka case, but it was in Mendez where the arguments gained traction.
8
Ibid.
9
Wollenberg, Charles. "Mendez v Westminster: Race, Nationality and Segregation in California Schools." California Historical Quarterly 53.4 (1974): 317-32. Jstor. Web.
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Wollenberg's article details in a factual and descriptive manner the legal and societal situation surrounding the Mendez case and decision. It is comprehensive in its analysis and provides nice support to the text of the Mendez decision.