Equal Protection: Race

Introduction

Starting with the premise "…that all men are created equal…" written into the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson during that fateful sum- mer of 1776, race relations in the United States has been an enigma. During the beginning of 1999, the tragic shooting in the Bronx, New York of a completely innocent citizen at the hands of undercover police, suggests that the enigma is still alive and well. You will be asked to do some research based upon race rela- tions in this country. Hopefully your work will lead you to a better understand- ing of the enigma of race relations past and present within the United States.

Task

You are going to prepare a research document based upon two past Supreme Court cases, and the recent New York City shooting of Amadou Diallo.

Your report will include:

  1. an analysis of "Plessy v. Ferguson" (1896)
  2. an analysis of "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954)
  3. research on the facts of the killing of Amadou Diallo in February, 1999
  4. an opinion survey on race relations

The Process

You will be required to work in groups of four. The group will be required to produce the research in the following manner:

  1. One person is going to find out the facts of "Plessy v. Ferguson" at

    2. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS.htm

    Worksheets 7B, 8 and 9A in TIPS Student Booklet are to be completed

  2. One person is going to find out the facts of "Brown v. Board of Education"

    at http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS.htm

    3. Worksheets 7B, 8 and 9A in TIPS Student Booklet are to be completed

  3. One person is going to find out the facts of the Amadou Diallo shooting

    4. which occurred in the Bronx, New York on February 4, 1999. The facts

    around the lawsuit filed by the Diallo family in April, 2000 have to also

    be researched. Information will be gathered using the Internet at

    http://www.nydailynews.com or

    http://www.nypost.com or

    http://www.anusha.com/diallony.htm

    An issue question will be required as part of the completion of this aspect of the report.

  4. One person will compose an opinion survey centered around how people feel about whether or not Amadou Diallo’s rights were violated and if race had anything to do with what happened. The survey will be done using

    http://www.opinionpower.com

    Resources

    http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS.htm

    http://www.opinionpower.com

    http://www.nydailynews.com

    http://www.nypost.com

    http://www.anusha.com/diallony.htm

    TIPS Student Handbook

    Grolier encyclopedia

    Encarta encyclopedia

     

    Evaluation

    Conclusion

    You should know the facts centered around "Plessy v. Ferguson," "Brown v. Board of Education," and the Amadou Diallo case. With a leap of the imagination now equipped with some facts, you should be able to better understand the question of race relations in the present day United States of America. An understanding that perhaps can be of use in the attempt to begin to wipe away this almost indelible stain upon this great country.

     

    Standards Addressed