Mendez Vs Westminster Case Study

Plessy v. Ferguson , a very important case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the ruling, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants, and other public facilities in the American South. In the Plessy decision, the Supreme Court ruled that such segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. This amendment provides equal protection of the law to all U.S. citizens, regardless of race. The court ruled in Plessy that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities for blacks and whites were “equal.”

The Chicano Movement aimed to gear towards equality for Latinos as human beings in the United States. As recently as the 1930’s, Latino American’s were not allowed to attend the same schools as Caucasian American students. This caused major outrage nationwide due to Latino Americans not receiving the same rights as their Caucasian American counterparts. One major case that stimulated protest for educational change for Chicano youth was Westminster v. Mendez in 1947. This case was brought upon after the child of Mr. Gonzalo Mendez named Sylvia Mendez

Valenica (2008) notes that many scholars believe that Independent School District v. Salvatierra (1930) was the first Mexican-American desegregation case, however Romo v. Laird (1920) was the first case of its kind. Since the case was not a class action case it only benefited the Romo family.

Plyler v. Doe was a case in which a Texas statue withheld local and state funding for the education of immigrants who were deemed illegal aliens. In this case, the plaintiffs represented school-aged children of Mexican dissent. These children were just recently admitted to the U.S.A. Since the students were undocumented people the school district asked parents to parents to pay $1,000, which would cover the expenses for the school, and enroll them into school. This case was then brought to the district court which found that the reason for higher admission rates wasn’t because of the increase in immigrants, but the increase of people in the surrounding areas, which were legal residents. Because of this the district court decided that illegal

Ferguson case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the case, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants and other public facilities. In the Plessy v. Ferguson case, the Supreme Court that such of a segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The 14th Amendment provided equal protection of law to all U.S. citizens regardless of the citizens race. The court ruled that the Plessy v. Ferguson case was legal as long as black and whites were equal. After this law came to be, public schools, public transportation and other public facilities were made separate; but they never had made these places equal. Equality represents what the United States stands for. We the people work together in marches, protests to oppose discrimination on the basis of race and gender. The Sacco and Vanzetti case showed the world that the how justice system in the United States really was. Sacco and Vanzetti received an unfair trial and were sentenced to death, not due to the evidence being presented, but due to their political beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. As Americans, we tend to be afraid of what happens and due to these fears we forget about what it truly means to be an American. This is the world we live in and quite some times, things are unfair; it’s the way the world

Morgan v. Virginia in 1946 challenged segregation on interstate bus services. The NAACP wanted african americans to be allowed to ride the bus with whites too. They were already allowed to ride

The U.S is known for its liberty and equality. However, the Supreme Court once had to decide on the rights for African Americans. Since the abolishment of slavery, one court case before the Supreme Court sided against the African American plaintiff fighting for equal rights. In this case the plaintiff, Homer Plessy was arguing his right to ride in a "white only" train car. Unfortunately, he lost his case in Plessy vs Ferguson. Decades later, another plaintiff, Oliver Brown, also took a case before the Supreme Court. Conversely, in this case, the Supreme Court sided with the plaintiff in Brown vs Board of Education. This decision began the integration of schools. Despite the fact that these two cases took place almost 60 years apart, they both dealt with a similar issue.

Plessey vs Ferguson- Decision by the US Supreme Court that confirmed the principle of “separate but equal” and minority segregation.

Even though forgotten, the stepping stone of Brown Vs. the Board of Education, Mendez Vs. Westminster was the first step to desegregate the United States of America.

One of the most historical cases in African American history is Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Basically this case is a consolidation of several different cases from Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware. Several black children sought admission to public schools that required or permitted segregation based on race. The plaintiffs alleged that segregation was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In all but one case, a three judge federal district court cited Plessy v. Ferguson (an earlier civil rights case that segregated races on trains) in denying relief under the “separate but equal doctrine.” On appeal to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs contended that segregated schools were not and could not be made equal and that they were therefore deprived of equal protection of the laws. This case broke the first segregation barrier in African American history. The base issue of the case was that: is the race-based segregation of children into “separate but equal” public schools constitutional? The final ruling of this case was: No. The race-based segregation of children into “separate but equal” public schools violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and is unconstitutional. This made lead way for the future black and civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa parks. Slavery

The landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson is a Constitutional case in which it had to be decided who the constitution meant when it said "all men are created equal." Brown v. The Board of Education is the reason for diversity in schools. These cases are very important to our constitution and to the people being governed by the constitution because it decided the fate of our nation and of our people. They show the degree of federalism and how much attention the government devoted to it. The amendments in the constitution do not apply to a simple race nor ethnicity. Throughout history laws have been made and destroyed at the cost of colored

The first successful court case for desegregation, known as Roberto Alvarez vs. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District, occurred in the 1930s of southwest California in San Diego County. The testimony won in favor of civil rights for the Mexican community of Lemon Grove. The 1900s was a time of social prejudice concerning the Mexican community within the state; many of which have been settled for generations. This basis for animosity served to spark refute within minorities. The Lemon Grove Incident set future success against segregation and hope for civil rights to all Americans.

Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit who ruled in favor of the Mendez decision that the segregation of non-white students is illegal and students should not be denied the right for equal education because of language or race. However, the Court of Appeals based the ruling on state law which did not specify the segregation of Mexicans rather than basing the decision on the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling allowed the Court of Appeals to dodge the issue of racial discrimination at that moment. The school districts appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. But The Court of Appeals agreed with Judge McCormick's ruling. (The Court

“In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.”

Just two years after the death of Charles Houston, segregation/Jim Crow was finally put to the test in the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education. The case began when Reverend Brown and various NAACP members fought to put their children in the close white schools, which led to Brown v. Board of Education. On December 9, 1952, the case was in effect and for seventeen months segregation hung in the balance.