Introduction

Our lives are full of events and situations that make us who we are. 

• For instance, how different would your life be if you were the child of slaves?
• What if one of your parents was President of the United Sates?
• How different would your life be then?

This lesson will introduce you to the Roberts Family: a grandfather, Robert Roberts; a father, Benjamin Roberts; his daughter, Sarah Roberts.  They were a black family who lived in Boston in the 1800s in the area known as Beacon Hill, where our State House is located today.  At that time Boston was the home of many abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and the members of the New England Anti-Slavery Society.  Although slavery had been abolished in Massachusetts since 1780, all people were still not treated the same. 

You are about to explore what happened when Sarah Roberts’ father, Benjamin, and his lawyer, Robert Morris, sued the City of Boston so that Sarah could attend the school closest to her house. You will consider why they did this, and how it changed schools in the 20th century.  You will also learn about the “Separate but Equal Doctrine”, and how it affected children in schools.

Task