The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives

Formulating Questions About A Primary Source from Morgan v. Hennigan

Interpreting Data

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

One of the best ways to begin analyzing a primary source is to formulate questions. Read the following document carefully. When you have finished, write down 10 questions you have about this source. Here's an example of two questions I had about this text: "Why was this memo confidential? If this memo became public, what might have happened?" Your questions may be clarifying or wondering questions. You'll have the chance to discuss these questions with your classmates. If you get stuck, click on the hints on the document. They will point you to significant sections of the document.


Name:
Class:

Worksheet

Formulating Questions About A Primary Source from Morgan v. Hennigan

Interpreting Data

Examine the document or documents below. Use the numbers to refer to the questions or hints provided. Then label the documents(s) with additional numbers or symbols based if you were asked to do in the introduction and explain them in the margins. Write your conclusion response in the space provided.

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Number: 1
Notice the title and consider the creator and audience for this document.

Number: 2
Notice the differences between printed text and hand-written text.

Number: 3
Notice the different categories of law enforcement.

Number: 4
Notice the title of this police operation.

Number: 5
Pay attention to the date; the month, day, and year are all significant.

Number: 6
There were approximately 90,000 students in Boston Public Schools in 1975. This means that, under Operation Safety, there was 1 police officer for every 50 students.

Number: 7
The superintendent-in-chief is the number two ranking officer in the Boston Police Department, under the police commissioner.

Number: 8
The green text indicates that this is part of the official court record.



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Activity Element

Report of Police Personnel Assigned to Operation Safety

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Conclusion

Formulating Questions About A Primary Source from Morgan v. Hennigan

Interpreting Data

Please write down 10 questions you have about this source. Be prepared to discuss possible answers to your questions.

Your Response




Document

Report of Police Personnel Assigned to Operation Safety

9/8/1975

This document consists of a daily report of the Boston Police Department of the number of Boston Police, Metropolitan District Commission Police (M. D. C.), and State Police assigned to ensure the safety of students in the Boston Public Schools, in the civil action case of Tallulah Morgan et al. v. James W. Hennigan et al., also known as the Boston Schools Desegregation Case. In 1972, parents of African American children brought a class action lawsuit alleging that the Boston School Committee violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by a deliberate policy of racial segregation. Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. found that the Boston School Committee had intentionally carried out a program of segregation in the Boston Public Schools. The ruling, upheld unanimously by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, ordered the Boston School Committee to formulate a permanent school desegregation plan that addressed student assignment, teacher employment, and facility improvement procedures, as well as the use of busing on a citywide basis. The Boston School Committee failed to present an adequate plan, so the court assumed an active role in the formulation of the desegregation plan and oversaw implementation of court-ordered desegregation in the Boston public schools.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 4713948
Full Citation: Report of Police Personnel Assigned to Operation Safety; 9/8/1975; Tallulah Morgan et al v. James W. Hennigan et al Case File, 1972 - 1991; Civil Action Case Files, 1938 - 1998; Records of District Courts of the United States, . [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/report-of-police-personnel-assigned-to-operation-safety, March 29, 2024]


Report of Police Personnel Assigned to Operation Safety

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