Please watch the movie entitled “Simple Justice.” This is a docu-drama, based upon a book by Richard Kluger, which depicts the early legal career of Thurgood Marshall. Marshall was the attorney who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education case. Later, he was also the first African American to become a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
You can access the movie (2 hours and 12 minutes) here:
Then, prepare a movie review. Your review should be no less than 2 pages long. You should summarize the basic story provided in the movie, along with the ultimate outcome of the documentary. You should also provide information on the following topics:
Who inspired Thurgood Marshall to devote his career to desegregation efforts in public education?
For what organization did Mr. Marshall work in his efforts to desegregate public education?
The Brown case was NOT the first case in which Mr. Marshall was involved which pertained to the Plessy v. Ferguson precedent. What other cases did he pursue which later helped to “lay the groundwork” for the Brown decision? Describe how those cases helped “chip away” at the “separate but equal” doctrine.
In the consolidated cases (5 total cases which were all presented to the Supreme Court at the same time, later to be known collectively as Brown v. Board of Education), Mr. Marshall relied upon expert testimony to support his argument that “separate can never be equal.” What was the basic message of the expert testimony on which he relied?
