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Briggs v. Elliott
By Liza R. Rognas

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

Define the following terms: Initial Complaint,
Democracy, Dissent, Segregation and Injunction.

What are the goals stated by the plaintiffs in the
Initial Complaint for this case? Read page one and page two of the Initial Complaint.

Why does Judge Waring dissent? How does he use
democratic ideals to support his arguments? View page one and page two. Discuss with the class.

Procedures

Read the excerpt about the Clark Study then have your students become
the subjects. Click on the image of the two dolls and print
for your students.

Take the Dolls Test:

"Show me the doll you like best or that you'd like to
play with."

"Show me the doll that is the 'nice' doll."

"Show me the doll that looks 'bad'."

"Give me the doll that looks like the white child."

"Give me the doll that looks like the colored child."

"Give me the doll that looks like the Negro child."

"Give me the doll that looks like you."

Read the section on Briggs v. Elliott in Chapter
Two (pages. 39-50). Have the class create a play based on
the text and the documents provided above. How were the
dolls used in this case?

Liza R. Rognas is a librarian and
historian at The Evergreen State College Library in Olympia,
Washington.

View
this page as a printable Adobe PDF file.

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