Essay On Thurgood Marshall

Marshall will be remembered for all his efforts in trying to put an end to racial segregation. He spent considerable time to work the Supreme Court to end the lasting legacy of slavery in the US. Quite evidently, he worked for the good of American society. Thurgood never wanted to lead protests but to peaceably pioneer civil rights movements. He found he was achieving a long-held ambition which placed him in the lead of the social revolution to end racial segregation. (4, 67) For this reason his life became very important in shaping the American society today. He also did many important things as a judge. He fought for individual rights and equality. His efforts helped to put an end to all racial segregation and discrimination against all African Americans in this country. Marshall did not only fight for equality in his fellow Africans, but also put important decisions as a Supreme Court judge regarding the environment, the right of appeal of people convicted of drug charges, failure to report for and to serve in the armed forces, and the rights of the Native Americans – only to state a few.

There were many people throughout the history of the United States that helped to get equality for African Americans; however, one man's voice moved an entire race. That one man is Martin Luther King, Jr. He has a way of making you listen when he speaks and of making you understand his ideas. Many people did listen and he motivated a whole race of people to strive with him on his quest for equality. The events in his life from early life, civil rights, and later life led him to be one of the most powerful people in the movement towards civil rights.

During the 20th century I have read many books, newspaper articles and seen news broadcasts on two of the most famous Afro American Pioneers: Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall. Martin Luther King fought all his life for equal rights for Afro Americans, but Thurgood Marshall help elevate the Afro American civil rights struggles through legal precedents and timely court decisions. Thomas G. Kraftenmaker a professor of Constitutional law at Georgetown University Law Center wrote, "When I think of great American lawyers I think of Thurgood Marshall, Abe Lincoln and Daniel Webster". In this century only Earl Warren approaches Marshall. Thurgood Marshall is certainly the most important lawyer of the 20th century.

"Thurgood Marshall was a rebel."(1) His method of activism differed from those of other civil rights leaders of the time. By addressing the courts and using his legal expertise, Marshall was able to have a more direct influence on society and the way government was treating blacks at the time. His use of the of the courts led to rulings that deemed the exclusion of blacks from primary elections, the use of racial profiling in terms of housing, the "separate but equal" mentality concerning working facilities and universities, and especially the segregation of elementary schools unconstitutional. With a resume like that it is no wonder he is still considered one of the most influential of the civil rights

Thurgood Marshall’s position in the Supreme Court as the NAACP’s lawyer is extremely significant. The segregation within school systems following the “separate but equal” legislation passed by the court, Plessy v Ferguson case, was something he continuously challenged. In 1934 he first represented the NAACP as their lawyer in the court case of Murray v Pearson, following this he was successful in winning 29 of 32 civil rights cases against the Supreme Court in 1950s. The most famous cases he argued were Browder v Gayle (1956) and Brown v Board of Education (1954), in these cases he was able to adjust and change

The Brown v. Board of Education was Marshall greatest achievements as a civil-rights Lawyer. The lawsuit was because a group of black parents in Topeka, Kansas were forced their children to attend all black segregated schools. This was one of the most important cases of the 20th century. The Supreme Court’s unanimously ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” On May 17, 1954. Racial segregation of public schools, violated the 14th Amendment. The court’s provided the legal foundation during the enforcement. The inspiration for the American Civil Rights Movement that unfolds over the next decided. His Victory in this case put Marshall as one of the best lawyers in America. As a lawyer he worked on 32 cases and won 29 of these cases.Thurgood Marshall, Jr. his son was born 12 Aug. 1956

Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution were historical milestones in which the ever controversial topic of racial equality was first challenged. In theory, these two movements laid the groundwork for a racially equal United States of America. A country in which every member, regardless of skin color, or race were to be treated equally under the eyes of the law and to one day be treated as equals within all realms of society. As historic and powerful as these movements were, they did

I was the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court, and served for 24 years. I once said, “None of us got here by solely pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody bent down and help us pick up our bootstraps.”

In America we are constantly reminded of the idea of freedom and equality for every individual. It is not commonly acceptable to base a person’s stature in the community from their race, class, religion, or sexuality. The most powerful act that brought forth new standards of civil rights and equality privileges was the fourteenth amendment. One of the most highlighted aspects mentioned within the document is that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny any person… the equal protection of the laws.” This simple statement has made an impact in today’s society. The equal protection of the law primarily draws from and requires equal treatment for all citizens in the United States, but

The United States, even though considered the land of freedom, has been struggling with lingering racism and discrimination throughout the 19th and 20th century. Democratic reform throughout the century were implanted to eliminate the “tyranny of the white majority” Yet many scholars like Tocqueville, Fredrick Harris and WEB DuBois have challenged these results. The reality is that the tyranny of white majority has continued throughout the 18th to the 21st century resulting in a society that has suppressed and constantly failed to integrate African American into the white society by neglecting the race, using natural prejudice, race neutral policies, and laws that benefited whites more than African Americans.

In 1940, he founded the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to provide legal assistance to civil rights and voting rights activists, and lawsuits against violators of civil rights. In 1954, Marshall’s victory in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka overturns the infamous Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson's, “separate but equal.” The Supreme Court’s ruling to desegregate educational facilities brought African-Americans one step closer to gaining true equality.

America is treasured because of its ability to offer equal opportunity to all people, no matter what race, gender, or religion. However, America’s prized equality has not been available all through the country’s lifespan. Many acts and laws have had to be put in place in order to create an egalitarian country. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 both were both created on the same topic: creating a fairer country that provided equal opportunities to all. Essentially, they work hand in hand, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 provided equal opportunity and rights to those with parents born in other countries, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited any sort of prejudice or discrimination concerning sex, religion, and race.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal Law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the grounds of sex, race, color, national origin and religion (www.aauw.org). Thus far in our lectures we have discussed the strategies used by various minority groups who have been discriminated against in violation of Title VII. There has been land mark decisions made from the hard fought fights by, African Americans, Women, Mexicans and Jewish alike. Their challenges of non-compliance and enforcement of Title VII brought successes that didn’t come without sacrifice, division and in some cases physical harm.

He wanted to study law at the University of Maryland Law School, and was overqualified, but was rejected because of his race. So he studied law at Howard University, and went to work for the NAACP to champion equality for African Americans. In Marshall’s first case, he worked alongside his mentor, Charles Houston, where they defended another well qualified undergraduate who also had been denied entrance to the University of Maryland Law School. Marshall won this case, and it was the first in a long string of cases designed to undermine the legal basis for racial segregation in the United States. One of the greatest achievements as a civil-rights lawyer was his victory in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

In 1908, Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Norma and Willie. Norma, his mother, was a schoolteacher and his father, Willie, was a railroad porter and a steward at a Maryland country club. “On the southern rim of the Mason-Dixon line, the Baltimore of Marshall’s boyhood was rigidly segregated. But there was also a thriving black business district and a well-organized black middle class.” Since Marshall grew up where it having a black community was a little more accepting than other places, it made him understand what the differences were between the blacks and whites. Marshall attended Lincoln University, which was an all-black school. The state university in Baltimore was segregated, “so Marshall commuted by train to all-black Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. At sunrise, Marshall caught the train to Washington; he often took the last train home at night.” In 1933, Thurgood Marshall graduated at the top of his class from Howard University Law School. Throughout his time at University Marshall was helping Charles Hamilton Houston with law cases; Houston went on to become the chief lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which Houston asked Marshall to join. “In 1935, Marshall won his first case in civil rights. He was suing the University of Maryland Law School