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These are only some of the well known court cases.

These are not all the significant court cases. This guide is based on past History Day topics researched at the Connecticut State Library.

Be sure to check other sections of this guide - for example the Civil Rights page has links to the U.S. Constitution and the Annotated Constitution.

Connecticut

See also resources for Amistad, Prudence Crandall, and Sheff v. O'Neill.

Indexes & Research Tools

Connecticut Court Records,1666-1974

Federal

African American History Month (US Federal Courts)
U.S. Federal Courts Educational Resources, highlighting court cases related to African American History.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
- upheld Jim Crow laws - separate but equal
- Justice John Marshal Harlan dissented
Cumming v. Richmond (Ga.) County Board of Education (1899)
Gong Lum v. Rice (1927)
- student of Chinese descent barred from "white: school.
Murray v. Maryland (1936)
Missouri ex rel Gaines v. Canada (1938)
Sweat v. Painter (1950)
McLaurin v. Oklahoma Board of Regents of Higher Education (1950)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954, 1955)
- Made up of five cases: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Briggs v. Elliot, Davis v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (VA.), Bolling v. Sharpe, and Gebhart v. Ethel.
- Separate is not equal

Dred Scott

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Dred Scott v. Sandford: Primary Documents in American History (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "In the 1857 Dred Scott decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, external websites, and a print bibliography."
An address to the electors of Connecticut. [March 1857] (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC).
Discusses Dred Scott case within election campaign message.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896

Upheld Jim Crow laws - "separate but equal" doctrine
Justice John Marshal Harlan dissented
Reversed by Brown v. Board of Education.

Other Institutions

Plessy v. Ferguson: Primary Documents in American History (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that separate-but-equal facilities were constitutional, upholding racial segregation laws. This guide provides access to digital materials, external websites, and a print bibliography."
Plessy v. Ferguson (Jim Crow Laws): Topics in Chronicling America (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide for Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
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Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "On May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court makes a critical court decision regarding racial segregation in rail cars. This guide provides access to material related to "Plessy v. Ferguson" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers."
Plessy v. Ferguson
From African American Civil Rights
Plessy v. Ferguson - Today in History
Library of Congress blog post with links to more resources.

Brown v Board of Ed

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

In Brown v Board of Education the Supreme Court reversed the 1896 case of Plessy v Ferguson.

Brown v. Board of Education incorporates several cases - you may need to look at records and briefs of earlier cases. These include: Briggs v. Elliot (filed in South Carolina), Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (filed in Virginia), Gebhardt v. Belton (filed in Delaware), and Boiling v. Sharpe (filed in Washington D.C.).

Brown v. Board of Education: A Resource Guide (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court legally ended racial segregation in public schools, overruling the “separate but equal” principle set forth in Plessy v. Ferguson. This guide provides access to digital materials, websites and print resources."
The Connecticut State Library may have some of the same resources.
History - Brown v. Board of Education Re-enactment
Federal Courts educational resource to reenact the court case. Links to additional resources. Includes information on court cases leading up to Brown v. Board of Education.
Brown v. Board of Education
From African American Civil Rights
Brown v. Board at Fifty: “With an Even Hand” (LOC)
Library on Congress (LOC) exhibit.
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LOC: "On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, declaring that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” This decision was pivotal to the struggle for racial desegregation in the United States. This exhibition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of this landmark judicial case."
"The physical exhibition was on view May 13 – November 13, 2004"
1957 Crisis at Central High: An Annotated Bibliography of Government Publications
by Karen Russ and Sarah Ziegenbein, GODORT Occasional Papers, Number 4 April 2010
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This is from 2010, links may not work.
"In the early 1950’s, a number of African Americans began to bring lawsuits challenging the separation of schools under the theory of “separate but equal.” Brown v. The Topeka Board of Education was heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1954. The Court ruled that separate schools were not in compliance with the United States Constitution. A second decision in the case was issued in 1955 and ordered that all schools were to integrate with “all deliberate speed.” Across the South, the idea was met with resistance. While various groups fought the issue in multiple cities and states, the problem resulted in federal action in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957."
The 1957 Crisis at Central High (NPS)
National Park Service article
U.S. Census Bureau History: 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

Voting Rights

Allen v. Milligan
U.S. Supreme Court decision. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the voting map for Alabama violated the Voting Rights Act.
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ALLEN, ALABAMA SECRETARY OF STATE, ET AL. v. MILLIGAN ET AL.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA No. 21–1086. Argued October 4, 2022—Decided June 8, 2023

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk’s Gay Freedom Day Speech: Annotated
From JSTOR Daily By: Liz Tracey June 13, 2022