Revised Thesis
Despite the United States Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of
Education in 1954, which deemed racial discrimination and segregation unlawful, the process of
school desegregation faced extensive and persistent resistance and delays. This obstruction
continued until the enactment of the Racial Balance Act in 1965. Nonetheless, significant
desegregation did not begin until Judge W. Arthur Garrity's decree for school busing, supported
by global denunciation of racism and the resolute endeavors of informed African Americans,
solidified the commitment to ending segregation in schools.
Introduction
In 1974, Judge W. Arthur Garrity issued a landmark order that mandated the forced
busing of students in an effort to achieve racial desegregation within the Boston public school
system. This directive ignited a significant public outcry and resulted in instances of violence,
laying bare the deep-seated racial and socioeconomic divisions that existed within Boston
society. This event also sparked a prolonged and contentious debate regarding the wisdom and
effectiveness of utilizing school busing as a means to address these issues. The desegregation of
Boston's schools holds immense historical significance because it not only exposed the deeply
rooted racial and socioeconomic divisions within the city but also demonstrated how the judicial
system intervened to bridge this divide. Moreover, the impact of this event continues to
reverberate through contemporary educational systems, shaping the way schools are
administered today. While other events such as the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the
Morgan et al v. Hennigan et al case laid the foundation for the busing system, it was Judge
