Photographs of Schools (Liberty Hill Colored and Summerton Graded) used in Briggs v. Elliott case, c.1948

Document Description:

Liberty Hill:

This is an insurance photograph of Liberty Hill school for African American children that was used in the Briggs v. Elliott case. The basis for the Briggs v. Elliott case came about because African American children in Clarendon County needed a school bus. However, when the case was lost, Governor Byrnes and the General Assembly pushed through legislation that would benefit the African American schools in South Carolina. They did this because they wanted to make sure that segregation was kept in place in public schools.

Summerton Graded:

This is an insurance photograph of Summerton graded school for white children that was used in the Briggs v. Elliott case. White schools received most of the money for education until Governor Byrnes enacted a law that allotted more money to African American schools.

Citation:

“22 Liberty Hill Colored.” # 00477. State Budget and Control Board, Sinking Fund Commission, Insurance File Photographs, 1948-1951. S 112113. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.

“22 Summerton Graded.” # 00476. State Budget and Control Board, Sinking Fund Commission, Insurance File Photographs, 1948-1951. S 112113. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.

Correlating SC Social Studies Academic Standards:

Standard 3-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the major developments in South Carolina in the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century.

Indicator 3-5.6 Summarize the key events and effects of the civil rights movement in South Carolina, including the desegregation of schools (Briggs v. Elliott) and other public facilities and the acceptance of African Americans’ right to vote.

Standard 5-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the social, economic, and political events that influenced the United States during the Cold War era.

Indicator 5-5.3 Explain the advancement of the civil rights movement in the United States, including key events and people: desegregation of the armed forces, Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X.

Standard 8-7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of South Carolina’s economic revitalization during World War II and the latter twentieth century.

Indicator 8-7.4 Explain the factors that influenced the economic opportunities of African American South Carolinians during the latter twentieth century, including racial discrimination, the Briggs v. Elliott case, the integration of public facilities and the civil rights movement, agricultural decline, and statewide educational improvement.

Standard USHC-9: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the social, economic, and political events that impacted the United States during the Cold War era.

Indicator USHC-9.5 Explain the movements for racial and gender equity and civil liberties, including their initial strategies, landmark court cases and legislation, the roles of key civil rights advocates, and the influence of the civil rights movement on other groups seeking ethnic and gender equity.

Additional Flash Versions:

Lessons Using this Document:

Separate But Equal

Civil Rights Through Photographs

Statement on reproduction and use