Read the following excerpt taken from the US Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).The case coming on for a hearing before the Supreme Court, that court was of opinion that the law under which the prosecution had was constitutional, and denied the relief prayed for by the petitioner. Ex parte Plessy, 45 La.Ann. 80. Whereupon petitioner prayed for a writ of error from this court, which was allowed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.MR. JUSTICE BROWN, after stating the case, delivered the opinion of the court.This case turns upon the constitutionality of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, passed in 1890, providing for separate railway carriages for the white and colored races. Acts 1890, No. 111, p. 152.The first section of the statute enacts"that all railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in this State shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations: Provided, That this section shall not be construed to apply to street railroads. No person or persons, shall be admitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them on account of the race they belong to." The Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson was problematic because
Read the excerpt from the US Supreme court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).The statute of Louisiana, acts of 1890, c. 111, requiring railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in that State, to provide equal, but separate, accommodations for the white and colored races, by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations; and providing that no person shall be permitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them, on account of the race they belong to; and requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs; and conferring upon officers of the train power to refuse to carry on the train passengers refusing to occupy the coach or compartment assigned to them, and exempting the railway company from liability for such refusal, are not in conflict with the provisions either of the Thirteenth Amendment or of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Which best explains why the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional?
The speaker’s role in "Harlem" is to
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.Why does King use this allusion?
Read the sentence.The stimulus in the experiment caused the plants to grow. Which type of phrase or clause is underlined in the sentence?
Read the descriptions of rhyme schemes below.Free verse: poetry that does not use a consistent rhyme schemeIambic pentameter: a poetic rhyme scheme in which each rhyming line has ten syllablesBlank verse: poetry that uses unrhymed iambic pentameterRhyming couplets: a series of two consecutive lines that rhyme in a poemBased on the descriptions, what rhyme scheme does the poem "Harlem" use?
Read the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back!What sentence best conveys the speaker’s message?
In “Ambush,” why does the author begin the passage in the present rather than during the war?
According to The Elements of Style, which sentence is written in active voice?
Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education.Because these are class actions, because of the wide applicability of this decision, and because of the great variety of local conditions, the formulation of decrees in these cases presents problems of considerable complexity.Why does the Supreme Court describe these considerations?
In what way are the lines of "The Weary Blues" similar to the lyrics of a blues song?
Read the excerpt from a supporting opinion of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.If the civil and political rights of both races be equal, one cannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
Read the excerpt from "The Weary Blues."He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues!Swaying to and fro on his rickety stoolHe played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. Sweet Blues!Coming from a black man's soul. O Blues! The phrases “O Blues!” and “Sweet Blues!” are examples of
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.I respectfully remind you sir, that we have been the most patient of all people. When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years.Which best explains why Robinson includes this description of Black people?
Which best identifies Jackie Robinson’s reason for writing his letter to President Eisenhower?
Read the following excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.As the chief executive of our nation, I respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the spirit of freedom in Negroes by constantly urging forbearance and give hope to those pro-segregation leaders like Governor Faubus who would take from us even those freedoms we now enjoy. Your own experience with Governor Faubus is proof enough that forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek. To which specific historic event is Jackie Robinson referring to in the letter?
How does the mention of Governor Faubus in Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower strengthen the main argument of the letter?
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years.This excerpt contains an historical allusion to
The speaker in Hughes’s poem “Democracy” encourages people to
In Langston Hughes’s poem “I Dream a World,” the repetition of the word “dream” emphasizes
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