...roductionBrown versus Board of Education was a major turning point in the history of the United States. This major case was actually several cases that were decided by the Supreme Court as one. These cases were argued by the NAACP and their expert team of lawyers led by Thurgood Marshall and his team the Legal Defense and Educational Fund. All the cases were filed by African American parents on behalf of their children. The parents of these children wished it to be brought before the courts that “separate but equal” was not fair. In the South though, Plessy v. Ferguson, “separate but equal” and Jim Crow laws reigned, they had a tough battle ahead.Leading up to Brown v. Board of EducationThe Jim Crow Laws were enacted in mostly the Southern and some of the border states of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965, slightly less than a hundred years (wikipedia). These laws mandated "separate but equal" status for black Americans. “In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans. The most important laws required that public schools, public places and public transportation, like trains and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks” (wikipedia). In the Progressive Era the restrictions were formalized, and segregation was extended to the federal government by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913 (wikipedia).To discuss the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, a brief history of...
Words: 2653 - Pages: 11
...Brown v. Board of Education Ronald Still Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Brown v. Board of Education Background The Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education dates back to 1954, the case was centered on the Fourteenth Amendment and challenged the segregation of schools solely on the basis of race. The Brown case was not the only case of its time involving school segregation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was leading the push to desegregate public schools in the United States (Gold, 2005). Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of four cases that had made their way through the court system. It was 1950 and Linda brown was just seven years old, she lived in Topeka, Kansas and was African American descent (she was black). Each mourning Linda traveled 21 blocks and crossed through a dangerous railroad yard to get to school. Her journey to school took an hour and twenty minutes. White children who lived in the same neighborhood only traveled 7 blocks in a considerably less amount of time (Gold, 2005). Linda’s father Oliver filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education arguing that he wanted the same conditions for his daughter (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 2009). The case was heard by three judges in Federal District Court, and they ruled against the plaintiffs, the case went to Circuit Court of Appeals and then to the U.S Supreme Court (Topeka, Kansas: Segregation in the Heartland). ...
Words: 1762 - Pages: 8
...Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson the Supreme Court decided that having ”separate but equal” accommodations for Whites and Colored did not violate the 14th Amendment (Wolff, 1997). This allowed states to continue segregation as they saw fit. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was centered on the segregation of railroad cars but the final ruling supported that all “separate but equal” accommodations were allowed by the constitution and was therefore allowed in restaurants, busses, and even schools. In 1954 the Supreme Court decided that “separate but equal” was not acceptable in the case of Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education. They determined that segregation went against the 14th Amendment (Wolff, 1997). This class action suit was filed by 13 parents for their 20 children. The plaintiff named was Oliver L. Brown, the father of third grader Linda who had walk six blocks to get to her school bus stop for her segregated school one mile away even though there was a school only seven blocks away from her home ("Brown V. Board Of Education", ). Although there were several cases fighting for similar things at the time this case is the most well-known. This class action suit was originally filed in 1951 even though the final decision was not made until 1954. The Supreme Court heard the case several times in 1953, paying special attention to the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and whether or not it prohibited...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...third-grader student named Linda Brown who was an African American and had to walk a mile to get to a colored school, while she lived about seven block away from an all-white school. This commanded the awakening of a nation to combat segregation. According to the book “American Government roots and reform”, explains that Brown v. Board of education (1954) case consisted on the U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that school segregation is inherently unconstitutional because it violates the fourteen Amendment ‘s that guarantee equal protection.” This shows that African American kids were discriminated as well their rights were violated. Furthermore, the article “Land mark: Brown v. Board of education “ explains that in reality Brown v. Board of education consisted on five lawsuits against school district in Kansas, Virginia and the district of Columbia involving public schools system that mandates separate schools from blacks and whites. While the cases were different in nature, however they made the same claim: separate is not equal. Arguing the case before the Supreme Court were, for the Petitioners who were predominantly parents of student of color. They claimed that their children were not receiving an equal education. According to the article “Brown v. board of education,” “The district court found that the facilities provided for colored students were largely equal to those provided to white student. Reasoning that it was required to follow U.S. Supreme Court precedent validating “separate...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of education case took place in 1954. It is one of the most important cases in the American history of racial prejudice. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized separate schools for blacks and whites unconstitutional. This decision became an important event of struggle against racial segregation in the United States. The Brown case proved that there is no way a separation on the base of race to be in a democratic society. Brown v. Board of education is not a case just about education and children, it is a case of everybody being equal. Brown v. Board of Education was a beginning for American people to understand that separate but equal is not the same. The Brown case revealed this. It was the reason why blacks and whites do not have separate accomodations any more. Separate and equal does not exist any more, Brown v. Board of eduacation made everyone equal. The first case in which African American challenged the doctrine of separate but equal in the United States public education system was in Boston Massachusetts in 1849. Prior to Brown v. Board (1954), from 1881 to 1949 there were eleven cases initiated to try an integrate schools in Kansas. The schools that the African American children attended were not equal to their white counterparts. Most of the time the African American students had to travel farther than white students to get to their schools. The schools for African Americans were run down with-of-date...
Words: 2495 - Pages: 10
...Brown v. Board of Education: A Historic Court Case For a large part of the 1900’s, racial segregation could be seen in almost all public places. This included the public schools system. For years, black children had to go to separate schools because of the color of their skin. This began to change in 1954 with the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Linda Brown and her younger sister were two black children who lived in Topeka, Kansas. Their all-black school was several miles away, and each day, they had to walk through a dangerous railroad switchyard to get to their bus stop. There was another school that was closer to their house and...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...Introduction Brown versus Board of Education was a major turning point in the history of the United States. This major case was actually several cases that were decided by the Supreme Court as one. These cases were argued by the NAACP and their expert team of lawyers led by Thurgood Marshall and his team the Legal Defense and Educational Fund. All the cases were filed by African American parents on behalf of their children. The parents of these children wished it to be brought before the courts that “separate but equal” was not fair. In the South though, Plessy v. Ferguson, “separate but equal” and Jim Crow laws reigned, they had a tough battle ahead. Leading up to Brown v. Board of Education The Jim Crow Laws were enacted in mostly the Southern and some of the border states of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965, slightly less than a hundred years (wikipedia). These laws mandated "separate but equal" status for black Americans. “In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans. The most important laws required that public schools, public places and public transportation, like trains and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks” (wikipedia). In the Progressive Era the restrictions were formalized, and segregation was extended to the federal government by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913 (wikipedia). To discuss the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, a brief history...
Words: 2256 - Pages: 10
...Brown V. Board of Education Victor Gonzalez Savannah State University POLS1101.Sec03.Fall2015.GonzalezVictor I .Introduction Brown V. Board is one of the most important Supreme Court cases in the history of the United States. “To separate [children in grade and high school] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone”, stated by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Supreme Court unanimous verdict for the Brown V. Board of Education has been credited with overturning the law of “separate but equal” which was stated in the Plessy V. Ferguson case that happened over 60 years ago. Brown V. Board of Education is a consolidation of cases from 5 different jurisdictions. The Brown case was a stimulus for the civil rights movement as African Americans struggled for education reform and forming legal arguments that will challenge segregation in all aspects of society. Brown V. board of education was a major turning point for African Americans in regards to education and equality in status the case didn’t focus on the tangible factors of equality but the psychological effects on those being separated. II. The Case The case of Brown stand point was on grounds that it toppled the lawful approaches built up by the Plessy v. Ferguson choice that sanctioned the acts of separate but equal. In the Plessy argument, the...
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
...United States, the Supreme Court has made major decisions relating to the civil liberties and rights of African Americans and each major decision has had a major impact on the American Society. Three Supreme Court decisions in response to cases filed by African Americans have impacted America more than any other decisions and also highlight the gradual development of equal rights in the United States. In 1857 when tensions over slavery ran high, the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision divided the nation into two camps – slavery and antislavery and this ultimately contributed to the Civil War in 1861. Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 was a major setback in race decisions allowing African Americans to be discriminated...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...were many legal cases regarding segregation leading up to the Civil Rights Movement. One of the cases that caught people’s attention was Brown v. Board of Education. In order to understand this case we need to go back to Kansas in 1951. At the time Kansas stood apart from states in the South because segregation wasn’t really statewide. Instead Kansas gave cities with large populations of around 15,000 the ability to segregate their schools. Due to a Kansas Supreme Court decision in 1941 Topeka High School and several junior high schools were integrated because the Court found segregation unfair. By 1950 there were already 11 cases that challenged segregation in Kansas. McKinley Burnett the head of the NAACP Topeka chapter decided to file a 12th case in hopes that they could persuade Kansas to fully integrate the school system....
Words: 650 - Pages: 3
...Brown v. Board of Education The case of brown v. board of education was one of the biggest turning points for African Americans to becoming accepted into white society at the time. Brown vs. Board of education to this day remains one of, if not the most important cases that African Americans have brought to the surface for the better of the United States. Brown v. Board of Education was not simply about children and education (Silent Covenants pg 11); it was about being equal in a society that claims African Americans were treated equal, when in fact they were definitely not. This case was the starting point for many Americans to realize that separate but equal did not work. The separate but equal label did not make sense either, the circumstances were clearly not separate but equal. Brown v. Board of Education brought this out, this case was the reason that blacks and whites no longer have separate restrooms and water fountains, this was the case that truly destroyed the saying separate but equal, Brown vs. Board of education truly made everyone equal. The case started in Topeka, Kansas, a black third-grader named Linda Brown had to walk one mile through a railroad switchyard to get to her black elementary school, even though a white elementary school was only seven blocks away. Linda's father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white elementary school seven blocks from her house, but the principal of the school refused simply because the child was black. Brown went...
Words: 1236 - Pages: 5
...Desegregation Desegregation was crucial part of American history which effected the lives of thousands of African Americans. The Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education in 1954 was one of the most revolutionary court ordered decision that pushed forward the process of desegregation. Segregation can be defined as; “to cause or force the separation of or to separate or set apart from others or from the general mass.” ( Merriam-Webster) This very unfortunate series of events happened across the United States mainly because of a court ruling in 1896 of Plessy v. Ferguson. Desegregation of school across the United States was certainly a task, that was not in its complete phase until the 1970s. The Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson involved Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 African American and 7/8 Caucasian which meant in the state of Louisiana he was considered Black. Plessy bought a first class ticket to ride on the railway in Louisiana, and took a seat in the all white rail road cart. He was then asked to leave his seat and sit in the “colored” cart because he was consider African American. Plessy refused and was immediately arrested. His case ended up in the US Supreme Court which ultimately proclaimed that Plessy's rights were not discredited because, the separate location provided to blacks were just as equal to those provided to the whites. This event adopted the “separate but equal” doctrine in the constitutional law. It was determined that all public...
Words: 2119 - Pages: 9
...Brown v. Board of Education Case In 1619, the African slave trade extended to the Northern American Colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The White Americans forced these enslaved African Americans to do impenetrable labor, such as, pick cotton, harvest tobacco, and build railroads in harsh milieu. In addition to the slaves being subjected to these horrible working conditions, the slave masters often tortured and raped young colored women. It wasn’t until December 6, 1865 that the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. The 13th amendment states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”(13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)). Although this amendment abolished slavery, segregation was still a major problem in America. On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The Brown v. Board of Education case of Topeka, Kansas influenced the path of...
Words: 1188 - Pages: 5
...October 16, 2014 Brown vs. Board of Education The court case docketed Brown vs. Board of education was a culmination of several individuals seeking constitutional justice for their civil liberties. These brave individuals changed the course of history. This landmark case changed racial segregation in schools and allowed equal education to all regardless of race. Although the Declaration of Independence declared that all men were created equal, it wasn’t for many years after the ending of slavery that equal rights were strengthened and the effects of slavery were abolished. Amendments to the constitution were put into effect to equal out the balance of the laws due to racial segregation, but despite these amendments African-Americans were rarely given the equal treatment as their white counterparts. Many states, especially in the south, made segregation a legal practice. What became known as Jim Crow Laws, were regulations that enabled separate bathrooms, busses, and schools simply based on the color of their skin. Many people disagreed with these unjust laws, but only few made their opinion known in court. One of the first cases to be heard regarding unmerited segregation was brought to the Supreme Court by a gentleman by the name of Homer Plessy. Mr. Plessy refused to give up his seat on the train to a white man and was therefore arrested. He knew that this arrest violated the 14th amendments “equal protection clause”. In 1892 he decided to fight this in court and it eventually...
Words: 2475 - Pages: 10
...BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF TOPEKA The Brown vs. Board of Education ruling was a colossal influence on desegregation of schools and a landmark in the movement for equal opportunity between the blacks and whites that continues to this day. The Brown vs. Board of Education case was not the first of its kind. Ever since the early 1950s, there were five separate cases that were filed, dealing with the desegregation of schools. In all but one of these cases, the schools for whites were of better quality than the schools for the blacks. The African-Americans argued that this situation was unjust and unconstitutional1. Education has been long regarded as a valuable asset for all of America's adolescence. However, when this benefit is deprived of to a specific group, measures must be taken to defend its educational right. In the 1950's, a courageous group of activists launched a legal attack on segregation in schools. The one who headed this attack was NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall. We find that his legal strategies would contribute wholly to the closure of educational segregation. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Congress passed the 14th amendment that stated that all people born in the United States are considered citizens. The 14th amendment also proclaims that individual states cannot make any laws to take away a person's right to life, liberty, or property. Segregation laws made it permissible to keep races distant as long as each race had its own access...
Words: 1328 - Pages: 6
