Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

This lesson is part of a broader unit looking at how the Civil Rights Movement developed from 1954 to 1960.

In the course of this inquiry, we'll be looking at lots of different things, the context of segregation that our course starts in, the civil rights organisations, as well as key events that happened between 1954 and 1960.

However, for today, we are going to be focusing on the progress in education from 1954 to 1960.

For this lesson, you're going to need a piece of paper and a pen.

If you don't have one, that's absolutely fine.

Just pause the video now, get everything you need, and when you're ready, come back and we'll start the lesson.

Brilliant.

So you'll see on the slide here our lesson outcome.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain the extent of change in education in the 1950s and how some people opposed these changes.

Now, in order to reach this lesson outcome, we're going to need some keywords.

For today, we've got four.

We're gonna have a look at some definitions before we get into the lesson.

A federal government is a system of government where there is one central government that controls a collection of smaller state governments.

Desegregation is when segregation is ended, so it's the opposite of segregation.

Something is unconstitutional when it breaks the terms of a country's constitution, especially when it violates the rights given to individuals.

And then finally, a school board is a group of individuals responsible for making decisions about schools in the local area.

Now we've had a look at some definitions for our keywords for today.

Let's get started on the lesson.

So in the first part of today's lesson, we'll be looking at segregated education.

Now, many areas of life remained segregated for Americans by the 1950s.

One of these was the education system.

Segregated education was also one of the many contributors to the lack of progress for Black Americans, particularly in the South.

This was because far less money was being spent on schools with Black American children, therefore, the quality of their education was far lower.

In some cases, the educational facilities for Black American students was three times more crowded than facilities for white children while receiving three times less funding.

We can see here on the slide a photograph of a segregated one-room school for Black Americans.

That means their entire school education was in this singular room.

We can clearly see that the room is overcrowded.

We can see that it's not been particularly well-funded, especially if we compared it to facilities for white American students at the time.

And as a result of this, many Black Americans left education with fewer qualifications and were therefore less able to access well-paying jobs.

This meant a cycle of lifelong inequality would continue to repeat itself.

So until changes were made to education and schools were desegregated, giving both Black and white American students access to the same education, this cycle would not be broken for many Black American people.

Now, before we go on to look at an example of how a particular family resisted the segregated system and led to change for many, we're going to pause, check our understanding so far, and put what we've learned in this first part of the lesson into practise.

So, I'd like you to tell me whether this statement is true or false.

Segregated education was one of the many contributors to the lack of progress for Black Americans.

Pause the video, make a decision, and then come back when you think you have an answer.

Great work.

We know this is true, but we have to think about why.

Is this statement true because less money was being spent on schools for Black American children? Or was it true because most schools for Black American children were closed by the 1950s? Again, pause the video, have a think, and when you think you know why this statement is true, come back and press play.

Excellent work.

We know that this statement is true because less money was being spent on schools for Black American children.

Let's have a look at one more question.

Which two of the following statements describes the conditions of segregated schools for Black American children? A, three times more crowded than facilities for white children.

B, three times less funding than facilities for white children or C, quality similar to facilities for white children, but slightly less funding.

Again, pause the video, decide which two of the following statements are correct and then come back and press play when you think you know.

Really well done.

So hopefully you picked A and B because as we just learned, often the facilities were three times more crowded but received three times less funding.

Now let's put what we've learned into practise.

I'd like you to number these boxes in order starting at one to show how unequal segregated education led to a cycle of lifelong inequality.

So pause the video now.

Give yourself about five minutes to read through these four statements and then decide what order they go in.

Great work.

Let's have a look at what your order should have looked like.

So first, less money was spent on Black American children's education, and as a result, the quality of education was lower for Black American children.

This then meant that Black American children left education with fewer qualifications.

And finally, as adults, Black Americans were less able to access well-paying jobs.

Well done if you've got that order.

You've really shown how unequal segregated education led to a cycle of lifelong inequality, and this was a huge problem for many Black American people.

And now we're going to look at how a particular family together with the NAACP fought against the segregated system.

So in the second part of our lesson today, we're going to be looking at a case known as Brown versus Topeka.

In 1954, the parents of Linda Brown took action against segregated education.

The Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas opposed Linda Brown attending her nearest school.

Her parents sought the help of the NAACP, a civil rights organisation, in getting their daughter into the nearest school, rather than the nearest school for Black students, which was much further away.

And as we can see here, in the announcement in the newspapers on our lesson slide announcing the Brown versus Topeka ruling, the NAACP was successful in taking the case to court.

And they took this case to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the USA, as you may already know.

And they got the federal judges to rule that segregated schools were unconstitutional.

This meant that schools across the United States had to desegregate.

This was a huge moment, hence why it was headline news in "The New York Times." We can see here the headline says, "High Court Bans School Segregation." This was a massive change.

Now, before we go on to look at how people reacted to such a change, we're going to pause and check our understanding so far.

So I'd like you to just quickly answer this question for me.

What did the parents of Linda Brown want? Did they want, A for their daughter to attend her nearest school despite segregation laws? B, better funding to be provided to the nearest school for Black American children? Or C, another Black American school to be opened closer to their home? So pause the video now, have a think about what Linda Brown's parents wanted, and then come back and press play.

Good work.

We know that the parents of Linda Brown wanted their daughter to attend her nearest school despite segregation laws.

So as I said earlier, now we're gonna have a look at how people responded to such a huge ruling from the Supreme Court.

So on the slide here, you can see President Dwight Eisenhower.

In 1954, he was president of the United States of America.

I'll explain why he's relevant in a moment.

So just to remind you that the Brown versus Topeka case had ruled that all schools across the USA were ordered to desegregate, and the ruling said, "with all deliberate speed." Now, this was a huge moment of celebration as it set a precedent for desegregation.

That meant it'd be easier to try and desegregate other areas of life, but it was met with a lot of hostility.

Even the US president at the time, Dwight Eisenhower, thought it would be just plain nuts.

Now, I can imagine when you saw his face on the screen, you might have been expecting me to explain how he supported or contributed to this ruling, but he did not actually support the government using their power to enforce desegregation across the USA.

He didn't believe that they should be using their federal powers for such an action, but it wasn't just President Eisenhower.

As well as this, groups who were against desegregation like the White Citizens Council, known as the WCC, or the Ku Klux Klan, the KKK, gained more members as people came together to protest against the ruling.

Desegregation was particularly slow in the South where these groups had much more support.

And that was if desegregation happened at all.

In many places, there was strong resistance against segregation.

Now, before we look at one example of the strong opposition to desegregation, we're going to pause, check our understanding and put our learning about Brown versus Topeka into practise.

So I'd like you to tell me whether this statement is true or false.

President Eisenhower celebrated the Brown versus Topeka ruling.

Pause the video now, make a decision, and come back when you think you know the answer.

Great work.

We know that this statement is false.

He did not celebrate the ruling, but we need to think about why.

Is that because he believed it should have happened much earlier and schools should not have had to wait for the Supreme Court? Or was it because he didn't support the government using federal intervention to support desegregation? Pause the video again, and when you think you know why, come back and be ready to justify your answer.

Great work.

We know that it's because of statement B.

He did not support the government using federal intervention to support desegregation.

Let's have a look at the second statement.

After the Brown versus Topeka ruling, all schools desegregated immediately.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now, make a decision, and then come back and press play.

Great work.

We know that this statement is in fact false.

But again, we need to think about why.

Is it false because desegregation only happened in the few Northern states where schools were still segregated? Or is it false because schools in the South desegregate in some cases, but where it happened, it was very slow? Pause the video again, and when you think you have an answer, come back and press play.

Great work.

The answer is B.

We know that all schools did not desegregate immediately, and that is because in the South where they did segregate, it was very slow, but in other cases, it didn't happen at all.

Now let's put what we've learned into practise.

I'd like you to write one paragraph explaining why the Brown versus Topeka ruling could be described as significant but limited.

And make sure to use the following details in your response.

Unconstitutional, "all deliberate speed," Supreme Court, White Citizens Council or WCC, or the Ku Klux Klan, the KKK.

Pause the video now, give yourself up to 10 minutes to complete this paragraph and then come back and we'll have a look at what your answer might have looked like.

Brilliant work.

Let's have a look at your possible answer.

The Brown versus Topeka ruling was significant because it ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional, which set a precedent for desegregation.

It meant that schools across the US were ordered to desegregate with "all deliberate speed" by the Supreme Court, and so many expected an immediate change.

However, there was an incredibly hostile response from some groups, especially in the South, where membership for the White Citizens Council for the Ku Klux Klan grew as people came together to protest desegregation.

With the support of groups like the WCC and the KKK, many schools were slow to desegregate, if at all, and therefore the ruling, although significant, was limited in its impact.

So if you were able to get all of those key details plus using our keywords in, really well done.

You've done great work so far.

Let's move on to the third and final part of our lesson.

Now, in this final part of the lesson, we're going to be looking at an example of where there was extreme opposition to desegregation and how it was responded to by the government, but also the community of Black Americans in the local area.

It's the case of the Little Rock Nine.

So in 1957, the school board in a town called Little Rock in the Southern State of Arkansas agreed that the high schools in the town should desegregate following pressure from the local NAACP office.

Despite significant opposition and relentless violence, by September, there were still nine Black students who intended to enrol at Little Rock High School, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls.

These were the Little Rock Nine.

Now, Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas, announced that he would use the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine enrolling.

To protect these students, Daisy Bates of the local NAACP agreed to drive the Little Rock Nine to school.

And we can see Daisy Bates among the Little Rock Nine on the top row, second in from the right.

This was a moment that they would never forget.

Now, before we find out how the events played out, we're gonna pause for a moment and check our understanding so far.

So I'd like you to tell me whether this statement was true or false.

In 1957, the Little Rock school board ordered local high schools to desegregate.

Pause the video.

When you think you know whether it's true or false, press play Great Work.

We know that this statement is true.

Is the statement true because they were pressured by the local NAACP to follow the Brown versus Topeka ruling? Or is it true because most towns in the South were beginning to embrace desegregation? Pause the video and when you think you know the answer, come back and press play.

Good work.

We know that they were ordered to desegregate following pressure from the local branch of the NAACP.

Let's have a look at one more question before we find out what happened to the Little Rock Nine.

What was the name of the Arkansas governor who said that he would use the National Guard to prevent desegregation at Little Rock High School? Was it A, Dwight Eisenhower, B, Orval Faubus, or C, Ernest Green? Pause the video and when you have an answer, come back and press play.

Really well done.

The answer is B, Orval Faubus.

He was the Governor of Arkansas.

If you remember, Dwight Eisenhower was president of the United States at the time, and Ernest Green was one of the Little Rock Nine.

He will come back to you later.

So let's have a look at what happened after Daisy Bates agreed to drive the Little Rock Nine to school.

Now, we finished off at the last point looking at a photograph of the Little Rock Nine together with Daisy Bates.

And one of these students was a girl called Elizabeth Eckford.

Now, unfortunately, Elizabeth Eckford did not receive the message that Daisy Bates would be driving the Little Rock Nine to high school the following day.

And on the 3rd of September, 1957, she arrived alone to face the National Guard and a screaming crowd.

The image of her standing strong amidst the crowd calling for her to be lynched gained international support for the Civil Rights Movement.

And we can see the photograph here.

She's unmoved.

She has her glasses on, her book in hand, and is ready to enrol at high school despite the crowd that we can see around her.

You can see the woman angrily screaming behind her, and you can even see the national troops sent by Faubus in the background.

This image gained international support for the Civil Rights Movement.

And as news spread, the Little Rock Nine arrived together the following day to 250 reporters as well as the crowd telling them to go home.

As images of the Little Rock Nine appeared around the world, President Eisenhower could no longer ignore the issue and was forced to act.

Nearly three weeks later, he sent 1,200 federal troops to escort and protect the Little Rock Nine.

Eisenhower had used federal intervention to enforce desegregation, and the Little Rock Nine successfully enrolled on the 25th of September, 1957.

Now, this is the same President Eisenhower who was not particularly happy with the Brown versus Topeka ruling, but as a result of the international coverage, he was forced to use it.

Now, before we look at what happened after this, because this wasn't the end of the story, we're going to pause one more time and check our understanding of the events that surrounded the Little Rock Nine as they went to enrol.

So there's a statement on the slide.

Eventually, Eisenhower was pressured to use federal intervention.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now and come back when you've made a decision.

Brilliant.

We know that this statement is true.

But we need to think about why this statement is true.

Is it true because images of the Little Rock Nine spread around the world or because Governor Faubus asked for federal help to stop desegregation? Pause the video again.

When you think you know the answer, come back and press play.

Well done.

We know that it's true because images of the Little Rock Nine spread around the world.

Now let's learn about the last parts of the events that surrounded the Little Rock Nine.

Although the Little Rock Nine did successfully enrol on the 25th of September, 1957, only one, Ernest Green graduated.

The rest left or were unfairly expelled from the school and completed their high school education elsewhere.

The following year, Governor Faubus won a vote to close all four high schools in Little Rock rather than continue to desegregate them.

This was in 1958.

This year became known as the Lost Year.

The students were educated at home.

The Lost Year did not come to an end until a Supreme Court ruling ordered that Little Rock Schools were to desegregate the following year.

Therefore, some historians argue that Brown versus Topeka did not have an immediate impact, as many Americans had hoped.

In places where schools eventually desegregated, it was done very slowly and often led to many families moving away from desegregated local school areas, which in turn continued segregation because if the same group of white Americans are moving from one area to another, this doesn't lead to desegregation.

However, despite mounting resistance and slow evidence of change, the long-term significance of Brown versus Topeka is still evident as it set a precedent for challenging segregation at a federal level.

Because the Supreme Court had ruled against segregation in education, it would now be much easier to take cases to court to prove that segregation in other areas was also unconstitutional.

So, we've got one last question to check our understanding, and then we're going to put what we've learned this lesson into practise.

So why do some historians argue that Brown versus Topeka did not have an immediate impact? And there are two correct answers that you can select here.

A, Little Rock inspired other schools and desegregation came to a halt.

B, desegregation continued to be slow where it did happen.

C, many families began moving away, continuing desegregation.

Pause the video now.

Select two correct answers out of the three, and then come back and press play when you've made your decision.

Excellent work.

Hopefully you selected B and C because we know that desegregation continued to be slow where it did happen and many families did begin moving away, continuing desegregation.

Now let's put what we've learned this lesson into practise.

Jun has said that, "As a result of the Brown versus Topeka ruling, there was significant progress made in education in the 1950s.

This is evident in Eisenhower's response to the Little Rock Nine." However, Izzy has said, "Although the Brown versus Topeka ruling was important, there was very little progress in education in the 1950s.

This is evident in Faubus's actions in September, 1957 and then again in the Lost Year." I'd like you to explain who you think makes the more convincing judgement about the extent of progress in education in the 1950s.

So pause the video now.

Give yourself around 10 minutes to write this paragraph explaining who makes the more convincing judgement , and then come back and press play.

Really great work.

Let's have a look at what your answer might have looked like.

You might have said, "Izzy makes the more convincing argument.

This is clear as despite the Brown versus Topeka ruling, which ordered schools to desegregate, Faubus used national troops to prevent the Little Rock Nine enrolling.

Even after federal intervention, only one continued on to graduate from Little Rock.

The rest were unfairly expelled or left as a result of the discrimination they faced.

The following year, Faubus closed all four local high schools instead of continuing desegregation, with local support.

This was known as the Lost Year.

This shows that although the ruling was important, it could therefore be said that very little progress was made." If you managed to get at least two keywords in here, really well done.

If you did more, even better.

Let's move on to the second and last task for today.

I'd like you to now think about why someone might disagree with your response.

So why might somebody present an alternative argument? So if you agreed with Izzy first, you're now explaining why someone might agree with Jun.

If you agreed with Jun in the first part of this task, you're now going to explain why somebody would agree with Izzy.

Again, give yourself around 10 minutes to complete this task and then come back and press play when you're done.

So, for this part of the task, your answer might have looked like this.

You might have said, "It could be argued that Jun makes the more convincing argument as Izzy could be said to downplay the significance of a Supreme Court ruling in favour of desegregation and Eisenhower's actions, even if he was reluctant.

This would make Jun more convincing as he acknowledges the importance of Eisenhower's use of federal intervention in response to the pressure of the media.

The Brown versus Topeka ruling meant that the President would be expected to use federal intervention to support desegregation, so, even though his response was slow and the experiences of the students were far from positive, the 1950s showed that those who opposed desegregation could and would be forced to accept that education was changing and progress was coming." If you managed to get some keywords in this paragraph, too, really well done.

You've worked so hard this lesson.

I'm very impressed.

So before we finish for today, let's look at a summary of what we've learned in this lesson.

So in 1954, Brown versus Topeka ruled that segregated schooling was unconstitutional, and ordered schools to desegregate "with all deliberate speed." We also learned that the Brown versus Topeka ruling was met with hostility, with the WCC and the KKK membership increasing as a result.

We also learned that the Little Rock Nine was supported by Eisenhower in attending Little Rock High School, even though he was initially reluctant to use federal intervention.

And then finally, we learned that Governor Faubus opposed the enrollment of the Little Rock Nine and then closed all high schools in Little Rock the following year.

This was known as the "Lost Year," which as we learned, came to an end when there was another ruling forcing him to open and desegregate high schools in Little Rock.

You've done great this lesson.

Really good work, well done.