preview

Seperate Is Not Equal Essay

Good Essays

Separate is Not Equal The decision rendered by the United States Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, was one of the most defining moments in American history. A multiethnic movement for social change developed into a legal campaign aimed at altering the constitutional basis of government in the United States. This struggle was not only about children and their education, but also about issues of race and equal opportunity in America. The decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka initiated educational and social reform throughout the United States. However, without the dedication brought by Charles H. Houston, the case of equality or the Civil Rights Movement might not have advanced to where it is today. Up until the late 1950s, …show more content…

Many gifted leaders served in the NAACP that battled to enact and enforce federal, state, and local laws that would protect the average African-American. Charles H. Houston, a member of the NAACP, was a man of power who fought until his death to enable blacks to live a fair and equal life. Although being born to a privileged family that was lucky enough to live in the north, this did not stop Houston from fighting to end segregation. His first encounter with segregation was in the First World War. Throughout the duration of the war, Houston had come to the conclusion that after the war, he was going to fight for equality. He stated, “The hate and scorn showered on us Negro officers by our fellow Americans convinced me that there was no sense in my dying for a world ruled by them. I made up my mind that if I got through this war I would study law and use my time fighting for men who could not strike back” (The Road to Brown). Thus he studied law and began to develop an attack on the Jim Crow Laws. He found that the best way to undergo this process would be to attack the educational system. Fighting for educational rights for the black students, Houston believed that if he could win, then the average African-American would be one step closer to equality. His theory became even greater when his victories started to pour in. Throughout the course of his legal campaign, Houston believed in a two step attack. First, he would make plain the inequality

Get Access