Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was the landmark case that resulted in desegregating of public schools. On May 17,1954, the United States Supreme Court issued an unanimous decision that it was unconstitutional, violating the Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection clause) to separate children in public schools based on their race. Advocates of desegregation were certain that racially mixed schools, more than any other institutions , would facilitate the cherished American dream of equal opportunity. In this belief they reflected long standing assumptions about the powerful role of education in life. In many instances the schools for African American children were substandard facilities with outdated textbooks and often no basic school supplies. What was not in question was the dedication and qualification of the African American teachers and principals assigned to these schools.(www.hrcr.org/docs/usconstitution/brown2.html, p.1) Black schools were not only inferior in terms of facilities. As Peterson emphasized, segregation was as damaging as inequality. It shunted black students from the mainstream, isolating them and depriving them from association or competition with whites. Separation of African American children f
Their plan involved enlisting the support of fellow NAACP members and personal friends as plaintiffs in what would be a class action suit filed against the Board of Education of Topeka Public Schools. (4,5,6) In none of these above four cases, it was necessary to re-examine the doctrine "separate but equal" to grant relief to the Black plaintiff. When first argued in the fall of 1952, the outcome of the School Segregation Case was uncertain. Reed took a different view from Black, declaring that "state legislatures have informed views on this matter," "Negroes have not thoroughly assimilated," and states "are authorize to make up their minds. Some civil rights leaders questioned the wisdom of pushing a desegregation suit on the Court at this time, worrying that the strategy might backfire and cause a disastrous defeat. In this case justice Douglas stated that segregation is an easy problem and has the simple answer. Children of the Topeka plaintiffs had to travel past and away from nearby schools to attend the four schools designated for African Americans. In some states the legislatures passed state laws to uphold segregation, which then had to be challenged in court by the federal government, delaying the day when African American children would be admitted to the white schools. Justices observed that segregation was gradually disappearing, and understood they were working with, not against, the current history. He declared that the result of the Courts decision must be the same in all the presented cases. Furthermore, he explained that, according to the 14th Amendment, no classifications can not be made on the basis of the race. 169) As early as1849 with the Roberts case in Boston, Massachusetts, African American parents challenged the system of education in the United States which mandated separate schools for their children based on race.
Common topics in this essay:
African American,
Founding Fathers,
Fourteenth Amendment,
Warren California's,
Robert Jackson,
Sherman Minton,
Frankfurter Jackson,
Virginia Blacks,
Public Schools,
Stanley Reed,
public schools,
african american,
school segregation,
board education,
african american children,
equal protection,
fourteenth amendment,
separate equal,
american children,
segregation public,
14th amendment,
segregation public schools,
board education topeka,
separate equal doctrine,
vs board education,
|
Acceptance Essays
