Coloring Outside the Lines

Coloring Outside the Lines:

A Lesson of Segregation and Economics

By: Amanda Cruikshank and Erin McGarrah

FOCUS:

Overview: Students will work in groups to debate the education budget for a small town that is trying to decide if segregation is economical for them. Other objectives will include understanding how ideas can influence and bring change. The students will learn the history of Arkansas during the Civil Rights Movement, the means of scarcity, how to make decisions based on a cost/benefit analysis, and how to effectively debate issues with help from their peers.

Background Information:

One of the most important Supreme Court decisions came in 1896, in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. Homer Plessy was a 30-year-old shoemaker from Louisiana. He was 7/8 white and 1/8 black, which is to say that he looked white to the naked eye. The Louisiana Railroad threw Plessy into jail for sitting in the white car of the train. The Louisiana law still considered him black, even though he appeared to be white.

Homer Plessy went to court and argued that the Separate Car Act violated the 13th and 14th Amendments. The judge John Howard Ferguson had previously ruled the Separate Car Act unconstitutional for trains that traveled through several states. However, in regards to Plessy's case he ruled that the state of Louisiana could regulate railroad companies that only operated in the state. Ferguson found Plessy guilty of refusing to leave the white car. Plessy appealed his case, and took it all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

In 1896, the Supreme Court found Plessy guilty once again. Justice Henry Brown said that it did not violate amendment 13th because that amendment abolished slavery. The 14th amendment was to enforce equality of the two races before the law, but he said socially they were unequal. The words of Justice Brown rang true over time. The Plessy decision set the precedent that "separate" facilities were constitutional as long as they were "equal."

In some states, small schools could not separate their facilities because of the lack of money. They could not afford to build another schoolhouse and supply more teachers and supplies to school African Americans. During this time states also spent more funds on schools for white students than for schools for African Americans. Today, in a school that has enrolled 100-199 students, the state of Arkansas spends $6,276 per student.

CONCEPTS: Decision Making, Costs, Benefits, Productive Resources, and Scarcity.

PREPARE:

Materials:

· Index cards or pieces of paper in blue, red, green, yellow, and orange.

· 5 large pieces of paper for groups to write their plan on.

· Background information on “Separate but Equal” sectioned off onto index cards, for students to read aloud in class (See Attached)

· Make copies of list of items that cost a school money (See Attached)

· Book: Uncle Jed’s Barbershop

Construct:

1. Depending on the number of students in the class, have equal number of blue, green, red, orange, and yellow to hand out as they walk into the room. Label each card with a description, such as grandmother, mother, single mom, elementary student, etc. Each color will represent a fictitious race.

Blue = The Blue Tribe

Red = The Crimson People

Yellow = The Sunshine’s

Green = Nature’s Friends

Orange = The Rounders

2. Divide background information into sections. Hand out sections to a few students to read aloud in class.

3. Give students the handout of “List of School Items.”

TEACH:

Introduction: Play “Hoxie, Arkansas 1955” from Arkansas Stories by Charley Sandage

(http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y03Y2669646Y3504469/102-4417960-0087354 ), which describes the history of the desegregation of Hoxie schools in Arkansas. Who can tell me what segregation means? What is the opposite of segregation? Every day we make decisions. Can anyone tell me decisions that they have had to make today? Sometimes when we make a choice we have to give up something else we want to do. This is called a cost. For example: When you go home tonight and you have to make a decision about whether you want to watch TV or do your homework. Which one will you choose? A cost is what you give up to do something. So the cost of watching TV is not doing your homework. It costs schools money to run the school. How much money do you think it takes to run this school?

Activities: Have the class read Uncle Jed’s Barbershop to get a better understanding of segregation. The book takes place in the early 1900s and is narrarated by a young girl. Uncle Jed is saving his money to buy a barbershop, but when his niece needs an operation, he gives his savings to her parents for the operation. Uncle Jed faces hard times again during the Great Depression and loses $3,000 when his bank closes. Despite all of his hardships, Uncle Jed continues working until he has enough money to own his own barbershop.

Hand out the background cards about “Separate but Equal” and have the students read it out loud. Discuss who is affected by segregation and why? Encourage students to voice their emotions about segregation.

As a group, create a costs/benefits analysis of segregation. See attached Cost/Benefit as an example. Have the students give some examples of costs that a school might have. Also, have them give a benefit for that cost.

Define scarcity as when productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things, and give up others. Everyday, we must make choices because of our limited resources are unable to satisfy our unlimited wants. Define productive resources as natural resources (land), human resources (labor), and capital goods available to make goods and services.

Divide students into groups of four based on their color cards. Explain that they are the school board for Hogeye, Arkansas in 1900. As the school board, they need to provide a school or schools for 150 students, 100 white and 50 African American students. Each group is only allowed 40 cards to decide how the school board should allocate the education funds. Each group will get 15 minutes to decide if there will be one or two schools, and how they will use the rest of their budget. Each group will present their plan to the city council, which will consist of the teacher.

1) Hand out “Separate but Equal” Background Sheet

2) Go around the classroom and have a student read a section out loud

3) Have the students give their feelings and thoughts about the students it would affect. Would this only affect white students? Would it only affect black students? Would it affect all students no matter what their race is?

4) Work on Cost/Benefits Analysis on your dry erase board

Have students give examples of costs the school might have. Have them then give the benefit for giving up those costs. Do this together as a group.

5) Divide class into groups based on color cards.

Tell the students that they were given different descriptions (i.e. mother, grandmother, student, etc) in order to think about the different perspectives different people would have about segregation and desegregation.

6) Groups must decide whether there will be one or two schools, and how to allocate the rest of their budget. They should use the example of the cost/benefit analysis to help them with their decision.

7) Groups will then present their plan to the City Council to decide if they will create one desegregated school or two school separated by race.

Closure: There are times when you have to make the best decision for you based on how much money you have. If you had a choice of spending $30 on one video game or $30 on socks, which would you choose? You would make the best decision for you and what you want. That is what we did here today. Every day the City Council must make decisions about where to spend money based on the wants and needs of the citizens and on resources available.

Evaluation:

Performance Task:

Divide class into two groups. Have one half of the class create a cost/benefit analysis of a town that has decided to segregate and will use two schools. Have the other half of the class create a cost/benefit analysis of a town that has decided to integrate and only use one school.

Composition:

Have the students write a composition about segregation. During the 1900s,

why was there so much controversy among the citizens about how many schools to create? Why do they believe that some people were for segregation while others were against segregation? Which side would they have taken if they had been involved in the decision in the 1900s, and why would they choose that side?

Connect:

Writing: Write in a journal about what it would be like to be a student in the 1900s.

Language Arts: Read a book from this Era, such as Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry; Through my eyes: Ruby Bridges; Not separate, not equal; Sister Anne’s Hands; Girl on the Outside

Math: Plot the distance between the local schools

Art: Draw a schoolhouse

Curriculum Alignment:

Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics:

For example: Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics

Content Standard 1: Students will understand that productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others.

Grade 8 – Benchmark 1: Scarcity is the condition of not being able to have all of the goods and services that one wants. It exists because human wants for goods and services exceed the quantity of goods and services that can be produced using all available resources.

Content Standard 2: Students will understand that: Effective decision-making requires comparing the additional costs of alternatives with the additional benefits. Most choices involve doing a little more or a little less of something: few choices are “all or nothing” decisions.

Grade 4 – Benchmark 1: A cost is what you give up when you decide to do something. A benefit is what satisfies your wants.

Grade 8 – Benchmark 1: To determine the best level of consumption of a product, people must compare the additional benefits with the additional costs of consuming a little more or a little less.

Arkansas History Frameworks

Content Standard 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of how ideas, events, and conditions bring about change.

Grades K-4 (Student Learning Expectations)

TCC.2.1. Use personal experiences, biographies, autobiographies or historical fiction to explain how individuals are affected by, can cope with, and can create change.

TCC.2.2. Discuss that change affects everyone and is inevitable and universal.

TCC.2.3. Use a variety of processes, such as thinking, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, to demonstrate continuity and change.

TCC.2.4. Explain how people, places, events, tools, institutions, attitudes, values, and ideas are the result of what has happened in the past.

TCC.2.5 Interact with Arkansas literature and the arts to show how traditions help people maintain continuity and ties with the past.

History: Group 1

History: Group 2

History: Group 3

History: Group 4

List of School Costs

COSTS

School Building $20,000

Supplies

Desks 10 @ $10.00 $100.00

Chairs 20 @ $5.00 $100.00

Coat Hooks 20 @ $1.00 $20.00

Chalkboard 1 @ $200.00 $200.00

Books

Math 10 @ $10.00 $100.00

Reading 10 @ $10.00 $100.00

Spelling 10 @ $10.00 $100.00

Teacher Salary 1 @ $10,000.00 $10,000.00

Total Cost = $30,720.00