The Big Question: Why is the 14 th Amendment still important to the rights of all Americans?

1. The Big Question: Why is the 14th Amendment still important to the rights of all Americans?

2. 14th Amendment • Protection of life, liberty, and property. • No state can take this away from any U.S. citizen without due process of the law. • Every citizen entitled to equal protection of the law. • No adult male citizen (this would include women as of 1920) can be denied the rightto vote.

3. Brown v. Board of Education Topeka Kansas 1954 • The 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause was used to prove segregation was unconstitutional. • The doctrine of “separate but equal” was proven unconstitutional. • The race being separated is made to feel inferior, violating equal protection rights.

4. Your task: • Complete Brown v. Board of Education internet activity. Answer questions at the end. • Research other related Supreme Court cases using the link provided in the activity. • Come up with an answer to The Big Question. • Formulate 3-4 questions of your own that can help you focus on the topic. • These questions will be presented in a group discussion at the end of the project. • Relate the Brown case to the success of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. • Website for activity: www.pbs.org/jefferson/enlight/brown.htm

5. What will you turn in as an assessment of the learning? • A one paragraph summary of the Brown v. Board of Education case. • A list of the three most important related cases in the opinion of your group. • Answers to the questions at the end of the activity. • A one paragraph explanation of how the Brown case helped the Civil Rights Movement to succeed. • 3-4 group questions related to the topic. • A one paragraph answer to The Big Question.