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Brown V Board Of Education (Brown) (1954) Marked A Historic

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Brown v Board of Education (Brown) (1954) marked a historic victory for civil rights in the United States. Chief Justice Warren declared the “Separate but Equal” doctrine unconstitutional, thereby moving the nation one step closer to a more integrated society. However, despite Brown’s monumental win for racial equality, it is undoubtedly obvious that the Court overstepped its boundaries in trying to push for progress. In Brown, the Court was unjustified in its actions to overrule Plessy v Ferguson (Plessy) (1896) and violated its constitutional limit in order to promote racial integration in public education. In order to fully examine the background and context in which Brown rose, we must examine Plessy. Plessy was heard in the Supreme …show more content…

Discussing the ambiguities of determining one’s race proved irrelevant to this case for Plessy’s race wasn’t explicitly stated on the record (Urofsky, 186). Also, the altercation between the conductor and Plessy had nothing to do with the Conductor’s ability to determine Plessy’s race because it was Plessy who self-identified as being colored (Urofsky, 186). Lastly, regarding the constitutionality of the “Separate but Equal” doctrine, Justice Brown believed racial separation to be different from racial subordination (Urofsky, 187). He explained that the feeling of inferiority solely derives from how Black Americans perceive the doctrine, and not from the actual doctrine itself (Urofsky 187). This decision in Plessy legitimized racial segregation and upheld the constitutionality of Louisiana’s doctrine. By the time Brown rolled around, America was in dire need of a remedy caused by the aftermath of Plessy. Brown was a compilation of four similar cares, all dealing with the question of whether primary and secondary public school should be racially integrated. Segregation kept Black students from attending schools closer to home, sometimes forcing young kids to travel miles away from home to receive an education. Segregation was getting ridiculous to the point where White Southerners would build a completely new institutions, just to stop Black students from entering their schools (Urofsky, 279). With Brown, plaintiffs sought to prove that

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