AMERICAN NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY ONLINE TEACHER’S GUIDE
Using Biography with Primary Sources:
Plessy v. Ferguson
Primary sources are the fundamental elements of historical research. They provide firsthand records—hence the term “primary” source—of the past. Although it is tempting
to assume that an account by either a participant or someone who observed an historical event would be the most accurate version of what “really” happened, it is important
to keep in mind that no single record can tell us all that we might want to know: the
full story of what, where, when, why, or how something happened. Perhaps even more
important is the fact that individuals who leave historical records always have unique
perspectives that influence how they see and understand events. Perspective may be
shaped by a person’s education, experiences, or expectations. For that reason, it is critical
that a student, acting as historian, ask specific questions about the participants and/or
the authors when reading, interpreting, and analyzing primary sources.
The purpose of this lesson is to illustrate both the importance and the value of using biographical information when
working with primary sources. The primary source selected
for this lesson is the Supreme Court’s 1896 decision in the
case of Plessy v. Ferguson.
Step 1
The obvious place to begin the research is to find out
about the individuals who were involved in the case or
whose lives and/or careers were in some way
touched by the Court’s decision. The lesson
begins by having students try three different
approaches to searching ANB Online.
• Begin by doing a quick search, using
the Search Now box on the home
page. Type Plessy.
• Next, choose Custom Search. Using
the Full Text option, type “Plessy v.
Ferguson.” Use quotation marks to
search for the exact phrase.
• Finally, choose Custom Search again.
This time, use the Full Text option and
do a Boolean search. Type Plessy AND
Ferguson.
Ask them to compare the results of these
searches. Which is the most useful? Why?
Step 2
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Step 2
Ask the students to examine the “Search Results List”
produced by the second “Full Text” search. The list of 21
individuals whose names appear includes the dates during
which these men lived. It also lists the careers of these
individuals. Using the dates and career categories, students
should be able to identify tentatively those who were
directly involved in the case (#s 2, 3, 6, 7, 13, 14, 16, and
20).
>>>USING BIOGRAPHY WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
Step 3
Step 5
Have students read the eight biographical articles from
ANB Online. Use the following questions as guidelines:
When the students have finished reading about the key
players and the historical context for the Court’s decision,
direct them to the following website to read the opinions
written by Brown and Harlan: www.landmarkcases.org.
Encourage them to refer to the background readings—
biographies and historical context—as they read these
opinions.
• What was this individual’s role in this case?
• What aspects of this individual’s experience shaped his
attitudes and values?
• Why did he become involved in the case?
• What factors influenced his thinking about the issues
raised in this case?
• Based on Justice Brown’s majority opinion, why did
the Supreme Court uphold segregation?
• Of what short-term importance was this individual’s
participation?
• Why did Justice Harlan dissent?
• Of what long-term importance was this individual’s
participation?
Step 4
The Search Results List also includes a dozen articles in
The Oxford Companion to United States History. Instruct the
students to work through this list for background
information relating to the Plessy decision. They will find the
easiest way to do this is to click on the first article, then use
the arrow in the upper right hand corner to proceed to the
next essay. Several of the longer articles include a brief “table
of contents,” located at the top of the left hand column.
They can use this to skip to the portion of the article that is
likely to reference the Plessy case, or they can simply scroll
down until they find the name of the case, high-lighted, and
read the relevant material. The background essays from the
Companion should help students answer the following
questions, which you can either distribute as they are reading
the entries or use as the basis for a class discussion before
moving on to the next step.
• To what extent and in what ways did the personal
views of the justices influence their opinions?
• Do the opinions reveal personal prejudices on the part
of the justices?
• What political, social, and economic factors influenced
the justices’ thinking and their opinions?
• What evidence of these factors appears in the
opinions?
• What was the status of African Americans in the
United States, the South, and, in particular, New
Orleans, in the late nineteenth century?
• What factors contributed to racism during this
period?
• What constitutional provisions had been adopted to
protect the rights of African Americans?
• How did the Supreme Court interpret the relevant
provisions in the Constitution?
• What factors influenced the thinking of the Supreme
Court justices who decided the Plessy case?
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AMERICAN NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY ONLINE TEACHER’S GUIDE
Step 6
Ask your students to return to the
Custom Search page. Enter “Plessy v.
Ferguson” in the box for “Full Text,”
then click on “Black History Special
Collection.” Then select “Search.”
This will restrict the results to African
Americans who had some connection
with the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.
The four African Americans
included in this Special Collection
represent two generations: Carver and
Washington were leaders of the Black
community at the time the Court
issued the Plessy decision; Houston and
Marshall had seen the results of the
decision and were determined to
overturn it.
Ask your students to read these
four biographies and to
compare/contrast the positions taken
by these four men with regard to the
Court’s conclusion that segregation
Step 6
based on the rule of “separate but
equal” is constitutional. You might
have them write short (one-page)
papers, discuss this question in small groups, or engage in
a class discussion.
Step 7
The nine remaining biographies from the 21 that
appeared on the original “Search Results List” also deserve
attention. Divide the class into groups and assign each one
of the following tasks:
Group 1:
Robert Morris—What was his connection to the Plessy
case? Who else was involved in the legal decision cited as a
precedent by the Supreme Court? Why was the
Massachusetts precedent important?
Group 2:
William Faulkner, William Ruffner and Paul Zuber—All
of these men were engaged in educational reforms. Compare
and contrast their ideas about educating African Americans.
How do you explain the differences? Of what importance
was the Plessy decision to their thinking?
Group 3:
Hugo Black, Charles Hutcheson, Sherman Minton, Fred
Vinson, and Earl Warren—These men, judges and justices
who served in the 20th century, faced the challenge of
deciding cases in which Plessy was cited as the leading
precedent. How did each of these men interpret the Plessy
decision? How did they apply it to cases that came before
their courts? How did their opinions contribute to the
overturning of the “separate but equal” doctrine?
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