Eliza and Harry Briggs, Sr. are listed as the first petitioners on the lawsuits from the 1940s and 1950s. Harry, a gas station attendant in Summerton, and his wife, Eliza, lost their jobs and were forced to leave Clarendon County. Their case, Briggs v Elliott was joined by four other cases from Delaware, Kansas, Washington, DC and Virginia to become the 1954 landmark case of Brown v Board of Education.
CREDIT: Interview by Esther Lemon, Cecil Williams, 1982
Eliza and Harry Briggs, Sr. are listed as the first petitioners on the lawsuits from the 1940s and 1950s. Harry, a gas station attendant in Summerton, and his wife, Eliza, lost their jobs and were forced to leave Clarendon County. Their case, Briggs v Elliott was joined by four other cases from Delaware, Kansas, Washington, DC and Virginia to become the 1954 landmark case of Brown v Board of Education.
CREDIT: Interview by Esther Lemon, Cecil Williams, 1982
Standards
- 5.4.CC Analyze the continuities and changes of race relations in the United States and South Carolina following the Supreme Court decisions of Briggs v. Elliott and Brown v. Board of Education.
- 8.5.CX Analyze the correlation between the Modern Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina and the U.S.
- This indicator was designed to foster inquiry into the role of South Carolina in the Modern Civil Rights Movement, to include the influence of court cases such as Briggs v. Elliot and Flemming v. South Carolina Electric and Gas. This indicator was also developed to promote inquiry into the relationship between national leadership, protests, and events and South Carolina leadership, protests and events, such as the Friendship Nine and the Orangeburg Massacre.
Resources
Clifton B. Newman and Brown v. Board of Education in South Carolina
In recognition of May's Honoree for the 2024 South Carolina African American History Calendar, Clifton B. Newman, students will explore the case, Brown v. Board of Education that inspired Judge Newman...
View LessonRoad Trip Mid-State, Stop 1: Modjeska Simkins House
The Road Trip Mid-State crew visits the Modjeska Simkins house to understand more about South Carolina's struggle for Civil Rights.
View AssetRoad Trip Mid-State, Stop 2: James E. Clyburn
The Road Trip Mid-State crew speaks with Congressman James E. Clyburn.
View AssetRoad Trip Mid-State, Stop 4: Liberty Hill
The Road Trip Mid-State team visits Liberty Hill and learns about its significance during the Civil Rights movement.
View AssetRoad Trip Mid-State, Stop 5: Cecil Williams
The Road Trip team speaks with Cecil Williams about his time in the Civil Rights movement and as a photographer.
View Asset
