First, have all students read the case overview for Plessy v. Ferguson from the Oyez Project website (external). Have a quick discussion to check for understanding of the case background and the majority decision. Ask the students the following questions:

• What was the case about? 
• What did the Supreme Court decide in response to the case?
• What are your initial reactions to this decision?

Then, divide the students into three small groups to dig more deeply into the court’s decision. Give each group one of the following primary sources to read and analyze.

• Brief for Homer Plessy
• Excerpt from the majority decision
• Excerpt from a dissenting opinion

Each group should create a poster summarizing their primary source. The poster should contain the main idea of the source, an important quote or passage, and an explanation of why the source is valuable for historians.

Have groups share their posters with the class, and hold a closing discussion on the following questions:

• What was the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and what legal precedents did it rely on?
• What legal precedents do you think should guide the Supreme Court?
• What are your responses to this landmark decision?