On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was declared a violation of the 14th Amendment and was unconstitutional. This historic decision marked the end of the…

This constitutional casebook is the outcome of the P.A.T.C.H. Law Program of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District in New York. The casebook provides students and teachers in grades 7, 8, 11, and 12 with a summary review of the 22 cases mentioned in the New York State Regents' 11th grade "U.S. History and Government"…

During the Jim Crow era, separation of the races in public places was either required by law or permitted as a cultural norm. Public school systems across the U.S. south were typically segregated. After 1896, these schools were supposed to adhere to the separate but equal rule established by the U.S. Supreme Court in "Plessy v.…

Ideas for celebrating the U.S. Constitution in the classroom, on a schoolwide basis, or in the community are presented in this guide. Classroom activities are categorized into art, research and writing, and miscellaneous. Designing a class mural and a class seal are examples of suggested art activities. In carrying out research activities,…