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| Contextualizing a Historical Photograph: Busing and the Anti-busing Movement in Boston |
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Author: Bruce Lesh, Franklin High School, Baltimore County Public Schools
Grade Level: High
Duration: 1-2 periods |
Overview:
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Although the United States Supreme Court judged school segregation to be unconstitutional in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, actual desegregation was a difficult, complicated process. Many southern school districts simply defied the Court's judgment, while others subsidized the formation of all-white private schools. Some cities were segregated by residential area as well as in schools, making it difficult to integrate schools in racially homogenous neighborhoods. One solution to that obstacle was to bus students from one community to another for school. But the consequence of busing, especially in "self-segregated" cities like Boston, was mounting racial tension, violence, and resistance. Despite the noble intentions of the Supreme Court and the advocates of using, the end result was a drop in enrollment in public schools and "white flight" to more insulated suburbs.
This lesson uses documents and photographs of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s to let students explore the politics and emotions of the Civil Rights era. In the process, students will encounter voices from all sides of the problem of integration, including parents, students, administrators, and journalists.
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