The Civil Rights Movement: Brown V. Board Of Education

The Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s aimed at the equal opportunities for blacks. The blacks not only wanted political freedom, but also hoped to gain social freedom as well. On top of that, blacks wanted to end segregation. The Civil Rights Movement involved many events that would later lead to equality and freedom, the goal for the blacks.

Sixty-two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional. The decision from the Plessy v. Ferguson case was lawfully denounced by the Brown v. Board of Education. The Brown case, which was initiated by the members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as a stimulus for challenging segregation in all areas of society, especially in public educational institutions. Among the support for the desegregation in school systems, there was a young yet compelling voice who was heard by numerous ears in the rural city in Farmville, Alabama. The virtuous and determined Barbara Johns, who was only a high school student then led her tiny, hovel-like school’s student body and the Farmville community to file a lawsuit in the hope of terminating the inequality in regards to the educational system.

Brown v. the Board of Education was a case that helped shaped America’s education system into what it is today. ‘Separate but equal’ is phrase well attributed to the civil rights movement in all aspects of life: water fountains, movie theaters, restaurants, bathrooms, schools, and much more. This phrase was coined legal in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Plessy v. Ferguson said that racial segregation of public facilities was legal so long as they were ‘equal.’ Before this even, Black Codes, passed in 1865 under President Johnson legalized the segregation of public facilities including schools. In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified guaranteeing all citizens equal protection under the law. Still, though, blacks were not given equal opportunities when it came to voting, schooling and many other inherent rights. 1875 brought the Civil Rights Act that prohibited the discrimination in places of public accommodation. These places of public accommodation did not seem to include educational facilities. Jim Crow Laws become widespread in 1887, legalizing racial separation. These downfalls were paused by development of the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People that was founded in 1909. This association began to fight the discriminatory policies plaguing the country, especially in the southern areas. Finally Brown v. the Board of Education fought these decisions, stating that ‘separate but equal’ and discrimination allowed by the latter decisions did not have a

The civil rights movement lays down the foundation of what most of us take for granted. In situations where racism, discrimination and sexual orientation was the justification of why one would be denied employment, a seat on the bus, or the right to vote, this movement was created to benefit all American people and has truly proven itself to be effective.

Board of Education(1954) case were Linda Brown, Oliver Brown, Robert Carter, Harold Fatzer, Jack Greenberg, Thurgood Marshall, Frank D. Reeves, Charles Scott, and John Scott("Teaching with documents:," ). Linda lived not to far from a local African American school, but her father had other plans for her and wanted her to go to an all white school so that she could obtain a better education. She was denied the opportunity, so her father teamed up with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP). The 14th Amendment was violated when she was denied the right to go to the all white school(Collins). The 14th Amendment says that a states have to give citizen equal protection under all circumstances. Brown v. Board of Education was not immediately ruled. This case ruling was deliberately thought through and started the trend of desegregating schools years later. In the opinion they believed that segregating the white and black students was the right thing to do. Students would be “offended or intimidated” if they had peers of a different race. That was their way of saying that she should not be allowed to attend the all white school in her community. This case had no had no dissenting opinion. By the case beginning combined to other similar case it was brought to the Supreme Court. They overruled “separate but equal” because of the previous case Plessy v. Ferguson because it violate the 14th amendment("Brown v. Board," 2012).

Mo Hock Ke Lok Po v. Stainback (1944) was another court case that gave parents the right to have their children taught in a foreign language. This was a significant victory because it implied that parents had a voice in regards to the education their children were to receive.

Is our nation becoming segregated again in light of the recent current events? When you turned on your television last week, did you get a sense of remorse for both the black community as well as the law enforcement community? Our nation is facing many obstacles today regarding equal rights for all. Recently, I have read an essay released in a magazine called, The American School Board Journal, titled “The Ruling that Changed America” by Juan Williams which he also questioned the desegregated acts of Americans.

This organization was founded in 1909 by sixty black and white citizens. In 1910 they published Crisis, a magazine that covered achievements for blacks in the arts, business and several other social fields. Most of the NAACP’s efforts where focused on anti-lynching laws and gaining civil rights for blacks without discrimination. When they heard of Oliver Brown’s problem they were eager to help. So in 1951 the NAACP requested an injunction that would outlaw the segregation of Topeka’s schools. Their defense was that not only were the schools inherently equal, what with the conditions of the schools themselves, but also that it was detrimental to black children’s education and future to be living with such segregation. Black children must learn to associate with white children who are a large percentage of the population in order for their curriculum not to be curtailed. The Board of Education’s defense was that black children should learn in segregated schools because they lived in a segregated society and would for the rest of their lives, therefore teaching them at a young age the way society is will prepare them for the future. They also argued that such blacks as Washington Carver and Frederick Douglas went to segregated schools and became great successes.

Before the 1950’s the City of Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, Georgia was known for its Klu Klux Klan rallies; its all white, pristine middle-class neighborhoods; and its superb schools. The unrelenting Civil Rights Movement entered into the United States during the 1950’s and

"Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does." --quote from the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision. To this day, Brown Versus the Board of Education is known as one of the most significant Supreme Court rulings of the 20th century. Brown versus the Board of Education stated that racial segregation of students disrupted parts of the 14 amendment. The outcome of this case would end up causing a full racial revolution across the United States of America, (U.S.) and a new way of schooling and acceptance

Back in 1898, the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson allowed states to set segregation laws, and it created the term “separate but equal”. What transpired were public services such as restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants, and methods of transportation that were exclusive to white, or colored citizens. Over half a century later, the case of Brown v. Board of Education turned that term upside down, and declaring that it violated the fourteenth amendment for people of all colors, including black and whites, to be forced away from one another in schools. No longer were there schools primarily for African Americans, the public school system was in the process of becoming a melting pot of people of all genders, colors, and backgrounds.

II have long respected the law’s ability to shape everyday experiences. As part of my fifth grade research paper, I studied the Brown v. Board of Education. My parents were raised in the south and spoke of the educational equities they faced living in a society that supported institutionalized racism. Between listening to their stories and studying the profound socioeconomic and psychological impact segregation had on black and brown children I came away enlightened and thankful. Through that project, I learned the law was not simply a set of statutes and cases, but an embodiment of freedoms that gave me the right and the opportunity to have an equitable chance at success in life where I could be judged based on my abilities and not the amount of melanin in my skin. My goal is to combine the passion for the law that I’ve had ever since learning about the enormity of Brown v. Board of Ed as a fifth grader, with a law degree from the University of Michigan that will give me the skills needed to bring my desires to fruition.

This month, American people will be reminded that sixty-four years ago, the Brown v. Board of Education case desegregated public schools and transformed a piece of the history of education in the United States. The integration of black students into a white-dominated education system seemed idealistic in 1954 when the decision passed, yet it faced many conflicts when society showed their discontent with the verdict in various ways. During this time, many focused on the nine brave African American students from Little Rock, Arkansas, who enrolled at Central High School as the first students to be integrated. These students were called the Little Rock Nine, and they forced the acknowledgment of the issue of segregation by attempting to get an equal

The Civil Rights Movement was when blacks were trying to make people understand that they are equal to whites. There was a lot of americans involved with the movement (blacks and whites). Even though there were many people involved Martin Luther King,Jr was one of the most famous that was trying to help.

African Americans today. For many years, blacks had been fighting for equality in America while being mistreated and abused because of their skin color. Many blacks were harmed or even killed for trying to push the equality movement, but the nonviolent blacks were willing to take the risk for the cause. During the time of the Cold War the US was fighting to spread democracy. Blacks were demanding equal rights and their determination was getting to big to ignore. Many groups were taking a stand, but the racist southerners were not happy about this. Events like birmingham bombing and the multiple nonviolent marches that blacks were injured or killed at were gaining global