Mendez v. Westminster, Prelude to Brown

Author Rick Flato
School Bush H.S.

Length of Lesson

50 minutes
Abstract This primary source-based lesson provides students with insight into the Hispanic Civil Rights Movement dealing with educational segregation. Using Plessy v. Ferguson as a starting point, students will explore the legal justifications for educational segregation and how the Mendez (1946) case changed California law and became a springboard for the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision United States Supreme Court in 1954.
District Fort Bend ISD
Historical Time Period
  • Cold War Era
  • Civil Rights Movement
Historical Themes
  • History
  • Government
  • Citizenship
  • Culture
Grade
  • Eleven (11)
  • AP

Lesson Plan Files