Reeves,+Bussell,+Seibolt

What America Means to Me:

​ Al and Em: We need to interview someone. Do you have anyone in mind? Well we have been asking questions on yahoo answers that we can include, other than that we can also do like a parent or grandparent or something.

__Opportunity__ Women's Suffrage/Voting: Before the Women's Suffrage movement, women were not allowed to vote, or basically have any freedom. Women were used for one thing: Housework. Once the movement passed, it allowed women to vote, and have the same access and rights to things such as property ownership, tax payments, and marital status. Wyoming was the first to pass the movement in our country, in 1869. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association which worked for suffrage on the federal level and to press for more changes, such as the granting of property rights to married women. Lucy Stone created the American Woman Suffrage Association, which aimed to secure the ballot through state legislation. These two groups came together to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Brown vs. Board of Education: The Brown v. Board of Education movement stated that african americans, and americans were not to attend the same school. It also stated that african americans did not get equal education opportunities as americans. During Brown v. Board of Education all nine justices agreed that seperating African American and whites in school was unconstitutional and violated the guarantee of equal protection of the law. The Supreme Court combined five cases under the Brown v. Board of Education, the five cases were from Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington D.C. In Kansas women got the right to vote in 1912. Summaries of the Cases:
 * Women's Rights
 * Civil Rights
 * Declaration of Independence
 * Women's Rights:**
 * Civil Rights:**

Delaware – Belton v. Gebhart (Bulah v. Gebhart)
This was first petitioned in 1951. In Claymont, African Americans weren't allowed to attend the local high school. Instead they had to ride a school bus for an hour to Howard High School in Wilmington. This high school was located in an industrial area and suffered from deficient curriculum, pupil-teacher ratio, teacher training, extra curricular activities program, and physical plant. Hockessin, African American students were forced to attend a dilapidated one-room school house and were not provided transportation, but white children in the area were provided transportation and a better school facility. Even though the ruling went in favor of the plantiff (NAACP) this didn't apply to all of the schools in Delaware.

South Carolina - Briggs v. Elliot
In Claredon County, the NAACP's first attempt to take action was unsuccessful to take legal action in 1947 against the conditions that students of African American schools had to experience. By 1951, Rev. J.A. DeLaine convinced parents to join the efforts of NAACP and file a suit against U.S. District Court. The court found that compared to the white schools the African American schools were grossly inadequate in terms of buildings, transportation and teacher’s salaries. The request to equalize the facilities was ignored.

Virginia – Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County
Robert Moton High School in Prince Edward County was built in 1943 and it was always to small for the schools population. Eventually classrooms were added by constructing tar paper buildings. The uncleanliness of the classrooms sparked the students to go on strike in 1951. Sixteen year old Barbra Johns, organized the strike. The students initially were just fighting for a new building with indoor plumbing. The NAACP joined the students with their struggles and challenged the quality of the school in court. Although the court ordered the school to have equal school facilites, they were denied access to the white schools in their area.

Washington, DC – Bolling v. C. Melvin Sharpe
Eleven African American middle school students went on a field trip to the new modern John Phillip Sousa school for whites. They were with a local activist Gardner Bishop, who requested admittance for the students and was denied. The students were oreded to go back to their gross and inadequate school. In 1951 a suit was filed on their behalf. After review with the //Brown// case in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled "segregation in the District of Columbia public schools…is a denial of the due process of law guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment…" Declaration of Independence: Written by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776. It declared explained the reasons that colonial leaders decided to break free from Britian and declared the U.S. to be an independent country. It was presented to congress on July 2, 1776 and approved on July 4. It states the principals of government and forms the basis for American democracy. It marked a point of no return. People now had to take sides between Patriots and Loyalists. Civil Rights Act of 1964: After JFK's election it was found out that 70 percent of the votes were African Americans. He failed to do what he promised during election time, and that was pass the civil rights act. When Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963
 * Declaration of Independence:**
 * Civil Rights:**

Speech: The Civil Rights bill was brought before Congress in 1963 and in a speech on television on 11th June, Kennedy pointed out that: "The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day; one third as much chance of completing college; one third as much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming unemployed; about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year; a life expectancy which is seven years shorter; and the prospects of earning only half as much."

Some quotes: Women's Suffrage: "Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less."-Susan B. Anthony

Civil Rights: "I am - Somebody. I may be poor, but I am - Somebody! I may be on welfare, but I am - Somebody! I may be uneducated, but I am - Somebody! I must be, I’m God’s child. I must be respected and protected. I am black and I am beautiful! I am - Somebody! Soul Power!" - **Address to Operation Breadbasket rally, 1966.** ** Lyndon B. Johnson: **

Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - ** Jefferson, Thomas, ** 1743  –  1826

Some good websites I found (keep adding to this): Women's Suffrage: []

Brown v. Board of Education: []

Declaration of Independence: [] []