Race & Cold War

1) Primary Source Analysis: Read the Justice Department’s amicus brief submitted for the Brown v. Board case. (It is dated 1952). As you read, consider the influence of the Cold War on what the Justice Department wrote. What is the main argument in the brief? What evidence, from the brief, shows that the Justice Department lawyers were thinking about the Cold War?
2) Base your answer to this question on readings and videos included in the Race and Cold War lesson. Why did non-violent direct action work in gaining support for the Civil Rights Movement? Consider the images that you saw and the statements by those who took part in the Freedom Rides. Describe what you saw and how it would influence people to support the protestors? What was it about the use of non-violent direct action in the age of TV that was effective?