1. Where were black children educated in early nineteenth-century Massachusetts?

2. What educational inequities did black children face in Massachusetts?

3. How did African American communities challenge these inequities?

4. Who were some of the key individuals involved in the struggle to desegregate Massachusetts schools?

5. What influence did the Roberts v. The City of Boston case have on later U.S. Supreme Court decisions?

• Document HS I-11:
  An Appeal to Fellow Citizens: Excerpts from "Address by the Colored Inhabitants of Nantucket" in the Inquirer, March 5, 1842
• Document HS I-12 Appeal to the Legislature:
  Excerpts from Petition Sent by Black Nantucketers and from "An Act Concerning Public Schools"
• Document HS I-13:
  For the Good of All Children: Excerpts from Charles Sumner’s argument in Roberts v. The City of Boston, 1849
• Document HS I-14:
  The Legislature Takes Action: Massachusetts Chapter 256, Desegregating Public Schools, 1855

"Legislature Guarantees Access to Public Schools"
Nantucket’s African American citizens desegregate the island’s schools.

"Supreme Court Strikes Down “Separate but Equal”"
Boston’s African American community worked for decades to desegregate the city’s schools.

"Charlotte Forten Enters Salem Normal School"
Forten was the first black student at the school established to train teachers.