The Brown Decision

Who is Writing:
Document One-The Supreme Court, delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren

Document Two- Members of Congress

Document Three- An African-American high school boy from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1957

Document Four- An African-American high school girl from Louisville, Kentucky, 1957

Document Five- An African-American high school girl from the Deep South, May 1966

Document Six- An African-American high school girl from the Deep South, May 1966
Audience:
Document One- Anyone and everyone

Document Two- Anyone and everyone

Document Three- Anyone and everyone

Document Four- Anyone and everyone

Document Five- Anyone and everyone

Document Six- Anyone and everyone
Who do the Writers Represent:
Document One- They represent people who believe that education should be a right for all people of any race and background.

Document Two-

Document Three- He represents African-American students in white schools who are trying to make a better future for themselves yet are still faced with discrimination solely based on their skin color

Document Four- She represents African-American students who were accepted as an individual person by their peers, but still faced segregation.

Document Five- She represents all of the African-American students who were met with violence and humiliation when they tried to switch to a better school. Even with that, they strived for a better education and worked hard to graduate.

Document Six- She represents African-American students who were able to get into the white school to pursue a better education while facing the hate of other students
What is being said:

Document One- That “separate but equal” is a bunch of BS, it’s separate but definitely not equal. They are saying that segregation causes minorities to feel inferior and that way of thinking can be irreversible to some people. They are arguing that equal to education should be available to all people no matter their race or background.

Document Two-

Document Three- He like the new school better because there are more opportunities for him to grow in areas such as education and sports. Even though he is a part of the basketball and baseball team, he sometimes doesn’t get to play in games, because of his skin color.

Document Four- She says that she has been accepted as her own person, but that only makes her feel as though she was “…some ambassador from some foreign country”. Despite being accepted, she wasn’t able to participate in extracurricular activities because they were still segregated.

Document Five- On her first day of school she witnessed an uproar followed by violence by people who were opposed to her and five other students attending a white school. When the students showed up, no other students came to school. The community wanted to isolate these six kids. However, there were a few teachers who stayed a stuck it out and were able to witness the six kids graduate.

Document Six- She says that going to the white school gave her a better education and that the course was a lot harder than the colored school. She faced the hate of the other students and studied hard until graduation.
How it’s being said:
Document One- Earl Warren delivers his speech in such a way that it comes off strongly. He knows what he wants and he’s persuading people to be on his side. He goes into depth and even brings up that it may damage the confidence of some minorities and that it could be a lasting wound for them.

Document Two-

Document Three- I think that despite not being able to play in some of the games, he still loves being at the school and part of the teams. In my opinion, he is really optimistic. He recaps he story as is, without much of his own thoughts on the matter.

Document Four- I don’t think the girl is having a very good experience, she still feels alienated from others. In my opinion, she sounds very sad and disappointed because of the fact there are still things she can’t do.

Document Five and Six- Both girls know that attending the colored school would not have given them the opportunities that going to a white school would have. They knew that the people didn’t want them there, yet they worked hard and passed all of their classes for their own sake.

Proof:
Document One- He brings up things like how even though they are supposed to be “separate and equal” things were definitely not equal in any aspect. He spoke very strongly and adamantly about how everyone should be able to have the opportunity to equal education.

Document Two-

Document Three- Even though he wasn’t allowed to participate in some games, he didn’t say anything bad about the fans or community members who were against him. In his last sentence he says “…maybe I’ll get to play the next game” I think that really shows optimism; even though he is not allowed to play he still has his hopes.

Document Four- The proof is near the end of the document where she says “Well what can you do? It just leaves me out. It’s not the school, it’s the community”. She obviously feels left out and alone.

Document Five and Six- Both passed their classes and graduated from the white schools, even though they might have been discriminated against and at times even humiliated.
Historical significance/relevance:
Document One- The Brown decision helped end segregation and moved America in the right direction. Because of the Brown decision, African-Americans were able to get into the schools that they otherwise wouldn’t have ever been able to set foot on.

Document Two-

Document Three- Because of the Brown decision, this boy was able to escape the colored school and go to another school where he would have more opportunities available

Document Four- Even though she was accepted and people liked her, she still had to face segregation. Changes don’t happen with the snap of the finger, even with the Brown decision things like segregation would only change with time.

Document Five- The Brown decision may have ended segregation, but it definitely didn’t end discrimination and racist attitudes. Many African-Americans had to face that fact when they left their colored school for a better one. In the end, after all the years of endurance, graduating with a better education that they otherwise wouldn’t have, made it all worthwhile.

Document Six- Many African-Americans were able to attend better schools because of the Brown decision, and at better schools the courses were harder. Because of that, they studied hard. Even when put in a place where everyone hates them, they were able to pass their classes and graduate.
How does this Document’s Premise or Theme fit into the Historical Context:

Because of the Brown decision African-Americans were able to attend the same schools as white kids. Many African-Americans were able to get a better education. Some still faced racism and discrimination, but there were also some who didn’t. I think that because of the Brown decision many African-Americans lives took a turn for the better, they had more opportunities to things that they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

Rosie the Riveter

CDL What Happened to Rosie the Riveter?

During WWII with the shortage of men combined with the need for war machinery women became more valuable in the work places. Employers became desperate and hired women to do hard labor that would normally be reserved for men and even paid them more too. After the war women felt pressure to leave their jobs so that the returning men could take over. Some women left without a second thought which constituted to the rise in marriage rates and birthrates. The women who kept their jobs were given lower pay and a lighter job.

Questions:

Do employers discriminate between the sexes in today’s time?

If you were a women back then what would you have done about being pushed down into the lower paying jobs?

Text Analysis #2

Japanese Interment

Who is Writing:

Document One- General John DeWitt

Document Two- Kazue Yamane

Document Three- Charles Kikuchi

Who is the Audience:

Document One- United States Secretary of War, February 14, 1942

Document Two- Any reader

Document Three-Any reader

Who do the Writers Represent:

Document One- DeWitt represented Americans who believed that all Japanese people in America, citizen or not, were potential enemies.

Document Two- Yamane represents everyone that was sent to an internment camp and all of the feelings and questions that they had harbored among themselves before, during, and after being sent to a camp.

Document Three-Kikuchi represents all of the Japanese-Americans who were legally U.S. citizens who were sent to Japanese Internment Camps regardless of their citizenship.

What is Being Said:

Document One- DeWitt was requesting for the removal of anyone with Japanese ties, by blood or marriage, be gathered and moved into concentration camps. He said that all Japanese, even those who were U.S. citizens, would remain loyal to their homeland thereby making all of them potential enemies to the United States.

Document Two- Yamane basically speaks about how unfair it was to be forced into an internment camp and how families would get split apart. Even letters sent to and from their loved ones were not confidential, but often censored. They were given no privacy and their health deteriorated during their life in camp.

Document Three- Kikuchi writes about his thoughts on the bombing of Pearl Harbor, how America is officially involved in WWII, and what he predicts will happen to Japanese-Americans. He discusses his views and those of his family on democracy and how they wanted to prove their Americanism and fight for democracy.

How is it Being Said:

Document One- When requesting the evacuation of the Japanese into internment camps, DeWitt provides a list that states the mission of the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army. It really shows his seriousness of the matter. He is also very blunt and straightforward in his way of describing the Japanese therefore proving that he holds an unfair bias against the whole of Japan.

Document Two-By the way that she writes you can tell that she was still bitter about her time spent in camp. Yamane, to this day, still can’t get over the fact that she was forced to go even when the government had no proof whatsoever that she was in any way planning something against Americans.

Document Three-This document is Kikuchi’s personal diary therefore everything written were his own personal thoughts and accounts. Even though he was kicked out of Berkeley and forced into an internment camp, his last diary entry someone makes me think that he is an optimist. None of his diary entries were negative. For example, his last entry talks about how the camp gave him an opportunity to connect with his family.

Proof:

Document One- DeWitt said that children who were born of white parents in Japan would end up fighting for Japan even though it was a fight against their parents’ country. With that being said, it was obvious that DeWitt was suspicious of anyone with even the slightest connection to Japan. DeWitt Stated that, “The Japanese race is an enemy race…” which further enforces that he felt very strongly against Japan and its people.

Document Two-She speaks of true events that happened to her and her family. For example, she says that she and even her kids questioned why things were the way they were. I think that her inability to give her kids a clear and acceptable answer made her even angrier at the government. Her husband wasn’t able to visit to attend his own mother’s funeral and the fact that the government censored their letters just goes to show how unjust the government was.

Document Three- Since these were diary entries, he just tells it like it was without trying to convince anyone of anything. He recorded events like they were. For example, he wrote about his family’s thoughts and comments on democracy.

What is the Historical Significance/Relevance of the Documents:

Document One-This letter probably helped spread the fear against the Japanese. This marked the start of Japanese Internment camps from which the Japanese had to suffer years of sorrow, poverty, and humiliation due to the unfair biases and judgments of Americans.

Document Two-This document gives us insight to what the people in internments camps thought and felt. It also shows us a little bit of what they had to go through.

Document Three-Kikuchi’s diary entries show us the Japanese Internment Camp period through the point of view of a Japanese-American. Kikuchi was a U.S. citizen yet he was forced to leave his university and was condemned to life in an internment camp, this gives us another view to look at besides just those of Japanese immigrants.

How does the Documents Premise or Theme Fit into the Historical Context You are Reading About in Your Textbook:

Japanese Internment definitely fits into the historical context of what we are reading because we are now in the WWII section. The whole reason America became involved in the war was because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. As a result from the bombing, Americans thought that the Japanese in America were all potential enemies, therefore, they evacuated anyone who they thought had ties to Japan and sent them to internment camps.