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Before Brown v. Board

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Discussion Topic

Prior to the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, in which the Supreme Court ruled that school desegregation based on race was unconstitutional, there were several court cases related to school desegregation and Hispanic children.

In 1945, nine years before the Brown v. Board decision, parents of Mexican-American children brought suit against several school districts in California in the case Mendez v. Westminster.

Read and analyze the petition with the parents’ complaint below, and answer the questions that follow.

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  • Who are the petitioners in the case?
  • Who are the respondents in the case?
  • On what grounds do the petitioners state that their children are unable to attend certain schools?
  • Specifically what rights do the petitioners state have been violated?
  • What do the petitioners request be done to rectify the situation?
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