The Case Brown Vs. Board Of Education And Its Effects

Early in the 1950s, segregation and racism against blacks and whites in public places were major problems in American culture. Majority of whites discriminated against minorities, particularly African-Americans. A high proportion of African-Americans were treated with a lot of hostility by whites. This led to activists and ordinary citizens working together in order to stop segregation. The civil rights activists were convicted, brutalized by police, and discriminated against those who supported desegregation. During 1950s, African American families challenged segregation. After multiple complaints, Brown vs. Board Of Education challenged this practice.

In this case, the segregation of students in public schools violated the 14th amendment that guarantees “equal legal protection”. Citizens who supported segregation of public schools claimed that it was permissible because of the precedent of the Supreme Court “separate, but equal”. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson’s official opinion was that the Plessy ruling should remain. Vinson died before Brown V. Board of Education hearings were to begin in September of 1953. Dwight D. Eisenhower then replaced him by Earl Warren, California Governor. Warren wrote a decision on May 17, 54, stating that segregated school are “inherently unfair”. According to the ruling of the court the plaintiffs had been “deprived of equality of protection under the 14th Amendment”. Desegregation of public schools is a good thing.

In the early 50’s, 17 public district schools and most southern schools were segregated. Segregation was supported by the majority of whites living in Southern and many urban areas. The segregation in education was allowed for this reason alone. Since African-Americans are considered inferior, they cannot receive an education. “Segregating students in education has perpetuated and created the perception that African American youths are less important in society than white youths, despite the fact that their educational facilities were comparable in many “tangibles” aspects. This inferiority caused African American students to lose motivation to achieve and learn. African Americans were being denied civil rights for a variety of reasons and did not receive the same level of education as white students. African Americans had to choose from overcrowded schools.

African American Children were exposed to more crime, poverty, and low income. The government took away their education because that is what they wanted. Education shouldn’t come before discrimination and segregation against African Culture. There were no plans in place for schools to merge multi-racial schools. Whites didn’t want to be around African-Americans. It was a degrading experience for the children. It was the same education system, but an african American child could not go to school if they lived closer than a white-only school. Parents finally took action to end the segregation of education. In the early 1950s several black parents challenged the practice of segregation in education through the Supreme Court case Brown V. Board of Education. The Browns could not send their child to a school that was close to their house because it had only white students. There was a white-only school that was closer to Brown’s home. Linda Brown’s family felt that the segregated education system was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Browns took their case before the courts. The Supreme Court heard the case. “Such actions violate the Fourteenth Amendment. It requires that all Americans are treated equally by the law. Separate schools are also harmful to black children as they make them feel inferior.

Black children perceived to be inferior. The “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” (NAACP) filed four class-action suits in four different states. These lawsuits were brought by African American students who were denied entry to white-only schools. Brown vs Board of Education was the first time that the Supreme Court rejected a large number of segregation cases. The fear of segregation in other public places was a major factor for whites, particularly down South. “The case, fought by the NAACP’s legal arm which has been fighting for civil rights since the 1930s,”

America believed that education would help children achieve their dreams and increase the economy. It was therefore considered important to provide equal education to all. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy V. Ferguson upheld segregation,’separate yet equal’ and the concept of’separate’ but equal. The decision made African Americans feel like second-class residents. African-American students were harassed, whether in the bathroom, classroom, cafeteria or anywhere else. These incidents occurred after “Brown”, a NAACP lawyer, won a case against segregation of education in violation of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court decided unanimously in Brown’s favor. The Court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren in writing the opinion on behalf of the Court, found that the practice of segregation is unconstitutional. Federal courts have decided that even though segregation had been legalized, it was still harmful to black students, even though there were no differences in the schools, the transportation or the teachers. Warren’s decision of May 17, 54 stated that segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and the doctrine of “separate but equally” had no place.