After learning more about the Roberts’ Case and reading some of the documents associated with schooling in Boston in the 1840s, students will consider what the long-term impact of the case was on the nation, by researching and learning about two pivotal cases, one that used the judge’s “separate but equal” ruling in the Roberts’ case as a precedent for allowing segregation to persist throughout the country, and one where that legal framework began to collapse.

Students should research and explore either Plessy V. Ferguson or Brown v. Board of Education and within their research answer the corresponding questions.

  • The Plessy v. Ferguson court decision established the “separate but equal” clause. The Brown v. Board of Education Topeka court decision overturned the “separate but equal” clause. In their research, students should answer the following questions:
  • What was the question being debated in the court case?
  • In what ways was this question similar to the Roberts case?
  • Who was involved in the case?
  • When did the case take place?
  • Where did the case originate?
  • How did the decision in Plessy cite the Roberts case?
  • What was the ultimate conclusion in the case?
  • Students may demonstrate their understanding in a written research paper, a class discussion, a presentation-style project or other task of your choosing. 

Teacher Tip-Depending on preference, you may ask students to use their online research skills to find answers to the questions. However, if you would like to provide students with a reliable source that will have the answers to all of the questions above, the National Archives-Plessy v. Ferguson and the National Archives-Brown v. Board sites both provide a robust page describing the case and it includes a transcript from the opinion in the case. There is a lot of text, but students can use the “find” feature on their computers to search terms and names such as  “Roberts” that help them home in on the answer to the questions.