Brown at 50

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down the unanimous decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas that held state-sanctioned segregation of public schools violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. This landmark decision reversed the "separate but equal" precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and was a pivotal event in the modern civil rights movement.

The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, in cooperation with the Illinois Humanities Council and the Chicago Historical Society, has prepared these materials to help understand the history, meaning, and legacy of the Brown decisions. Originally prepared for high school students, this information is now available for anyone interested in Brown.

Brown at 50 Sponsors

The Brown at 50 high school student project is presented by the Illinois Humanities Council , Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, and the Chicago Historical Society .

Brown at 50 is funded in part by the Polk Bros. Foundation . Sponsors of "Brown v. Board 50 Years Later: Conversations on Integration, Race, and the Courts" are the Boeing Company, Woods Fund of Chicago, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Comcast, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Radio, WYCC Wise TV, and WJYS62.

Decisions Of The Supreme Court Of The United States

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) [Brown I]

Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497 (1954)

Brown v. Board of Education, 349 U.S. 294 (1955) [Brown II]


Resources for Teaching and Learning about Brown v. Board of Education

Illinois Humanities Council - Brown v. Board 50 Years Later: Conversations on Integration, Race, and the Courts

American Bar Association - 2004 Law Day lessons celebrating the 50th anniversary of Brown

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Constitutional Rights Foundation - Brown v. Board of Education: 50th Anniversary

Landmark Cases - Brown v. Board of Education

Library of Congress, "With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty"

National Archives and Records Administration - Timeline of Events Leading to the Brown v. Board of Education Decision, 1954

National Museum of American History: Separate Is Not Equal, Brown v. Board of Education

University of Michigan Library's Brown v. Board of Education Digital Archive

Hess, Diana E. “Deconstructing the Brown Myth,” Rethinking Schools, Volume 18, No. 3 - Spring 2004

Orfield, Gary and Chungmei Lee. “ Brown At 50: King’s Dream or Plessy’s Nightmare?” January 2004, The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University.


Last updated: October 5, 2004

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