458 ChApTEr 20 | the BreaKDoWn oF ConsensUs | period eight 19 45 –198 0ApplyINg Ap® historical Thinking Skills
sKill review Historical causation and Historical Argumentation
Accept, modify, or refute the following statement:The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a turning point in the twentieth-century
civil rights movement.steP 1 Historical causation
The claim that Brown v. Board of Education began a series of events—or period—requires
you to visualize the relationship between the legislative decision and key features of the civil
rights movement. Consider the chronology of the documents in this chapter:Document 20.1, Dwight D. Eisenhower, On Earl Warren and the Brown Decision, 1954
Document 20.2, Students for a Democratic Society, Port Huron Statement, 1962
Document 20.3, Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 1963
Document 20.4, Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” 1963
Document 20.5, Civil Rights Act of 1964
Document 20.6, Cesar Chavez, “We Shall Overcome,” 1965Thematically, these documents share similar features. Consider the following questions
as you determine other features of causation:- What events in the years leading up to Brown may have contributed to the civil rights
movement? - Following Brown, what other events contributed to the civil rights movement?
- To what extent was Brown an actual turning point? What other events might have
acted as a clearer turning point for the modern civil rights movement? - What is the relationship between education and civil rights? Did other landmark
Supreme Court cases address inalienable rights?
steP 2 Argumentation
As you have learned from previous chapters, effective argumentation presents at least two
sides, so whether you agree or disagree with a claim, your ability to recognize the counter-
argument enhances your overall position. Your answers to the questions above will help you
address these different points of view as you create your argument.21_STA_2012_ch20_447-472.indd 458 16/04/15 6:13 PM