The Civil Rights Movement : Ruby Bridges And The Little Rock Nine

The Brown v. Board of Education of 1954 is known for desegregating public schools in the U.S. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled “in the field of public education the doctrine of separate but equal had no place” (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954). It was the 1st major educational policy. The Court’s decision in Brown created not just desegregation strategies, but also instructional approaches such as Title I programs, magnet schools, and bilingual and multicultural education (Contreras & Valverde, 1994).

Topeka, Kansas, 1950, a young African-American girl named Linda Brown had to walk a mile to get to her school, crossing a railroad switchyard. She lived seven blocks from an all white school. Linda’s father, Oliver, tried to enroll her into the all white school. The school denied her because of the color of her skin. Segregation was widespread throughout our nation. Blacks believed that the “separate but equal” saying was false. They felt that whites had more educational opportunities. Mr. Brown, along with the NAACP and many civic leaders, fought for equal educational rights for all races. Brown v. The Board of Education case and the events leading up to it had a positive effect on education and society.

Board of Education was a landmark case that overturned one of the most racist precedents of the late 19th century, Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896). It acknowledged the grave injustice done to black children in their unequal education compared to Whites and that it was illegal because of the “equal protection clause” of the 14th amendment. This was a victory for the Black community and was one step closer to the civil rights that the NAACP and other Black and African American activist groups had been fighting for. Desegregation, however, was a complicated process because of the reluctance of many state governments to comply. While the Federal government focused on the South to comply, the Northern states were left largely to their own devices. The shift of the courts to also focus on integration in the 1960s sparked white supremacist action that did not die down until the 1970s. In modern times, while segregation is illegal, it is rare to find schools that are integrated and segregation can still be found in legal ways. The separation of black and white communities leads to schools that can only reflect the areas that are zoned to them. The lack of success in busing children across town lines in order to integrate students together has sparked protest and it is rare that officials decide to try it again. So while Brown vs. Board of Education certainly was a landmark case that gave more fire to the building Civil Rights movement, it did not have any immediate effects in

These problems that were being seen at young ages were not likely to go away with time because their learning had already been delayed. Furthermore, the supreme court saw segregation at schools as unconstitutional, “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, case in which on May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9–0) that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person within their jurisdictions,”(Duignan). The education of the student was not the only thing being denied but also the chance to have protection in their own home. The supreme court agreed it was unconstitutional because idea of “Separate but equal,” set up by the Plessy vs. Ferguson court case was not at all being

The book “Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy” by James T. Patterson is about the struggles leading up to the fight for the desegregations of public schools and the outcomes. The struggles accelerated to civil rights movement in the 1950s. Patterson describes in details about the difficult road to the Supreme Court, the outcome of the Supreme Court decision, the resistance by whites people, especially in the Deep South and the struggles to implement the challenging transition. Discriminatory practices were apparent in the United States but it was a lot worse in the Southern States. The Jim Crow Law mandated the segregation of public schools, public places, public transportations, restrooms, restaurants,

“In many ways the drive to appoint sols and put black and white children together was the most radical part of the civil rights movement. (civilrights.org)”. “All the Topeka elementary schools are to neighborhood attendance centers in January 1956, although existing students were allowed to continue attending their prior assigned schools at their option the struggle for integrated schools has gone through many faces since the 1954 decision. (Wikipedia.com)”. It sparked hope and outrage depending on people’s reactions. After the Supreme Court decision in 1954 was not moving smoothly they decided to add a 1955 court decision that called for desegration with deliberate speed. Browns impact has been enormous on the civil rights movement from the years to come this case sparked a generous amount of change that would give equal rights to children. Although the holding of the decision was focused on terminating segregation in schools. It also over time supported racial discrimination in almost every other area of public life. (2008 pg.17). Sparked by brown the civil rights movement manifested quickly spreading all over and

Americans approached this issue from opposing sides; some states prohibited segregation while others permitted it (McPherson, 626). Despite the American Freedmen’s Union Commission’s support of integration, Southern whites strongly pushed for segregation in public schools (McPherson, 626). How did African Americans respond to this issue of segregation? Did they support or disapprove of it? Some African Americans might have approved of segregation especially if they believed that education was the only way to gain liberty. They might have seen segregation as the means to finally free themselves from whites’ control. On the other hand, African Americans might have seen segregation as white Americans further attempt to restrict and marginalize

Desegregation has been a pressing matter throughout the United States since the early 1600’s. Since the day that the first African slaves were brought to America, people of color have been fighting to gain equality, even to the death. They have made significant progress, one of the most important being the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery. Another significant advancement for racial equality was the ruling of the trial of Brown vs. Board of Education. Had the supreme court not issued the federal mandate of Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 to enforce integration in public schools, desegregation would not have happened until after the civil rights leaders and activists completed their movement in the mid-to-late twentieth century.

It is said that “The Brown case served as a catalyst for the modern civil rights movement, inspiring education reform everywhere and forming the legal means of challenging segregation in all areas of society.” The Brown case did so much in the civil rights movement in the fact as it was one of the starting points for the movements for African Americans to fighting for their rights. Brown v. Board of Education was actually a consolidation of cases from five jurisdictions, and the cases were combined because they all sought desegregation of schools as the remedy for grossly inadequate conditions in segregated black schools. The Brown v. Board of Education Provided the spark for the American civil Rights Movement because The Court’s unanimous decision overturned provisions of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which had allowed for “separate but equal” public facilities, including public schools in the United States. The parents of these African American students didn’t feel that their child

The racial segregation in southern schools was very serious in the 1960’s era. There were many black students that missed out on an education because they had to quit to help the family or lived to far from a colored school. Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Washington D.C. And Virginia challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. But things like the Little Rock Nine and Brown v. Board of Education made the government change their minds about Racial School Segregation. Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka 1954 was a major case in African American History.

“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently equal.” This case began in Topeka, Kansas where an African American man grew upset with a white school, due to them not accepting his daughter’s admission and ordering her to attend a school further away. The NAACP quickly caught onto the case and supported it completely. The case was not successful at the district level but rose to the Supreme Court and won on May 17, 1954. (History- Brown) This hearing ended legal segregation in America. Brown v Board of Education was a revolutionary lawsuit as it furthered the civil rights movement in The United States as well as reforming America’s education system.

I will be writing my final exam on Ms. Ruby Bridges. Ruby Bridges was a very big but, a small figure when it came to civil rights movement. During the time of the Civil Rights schools were segregated and Ruby Bridges were one of the children that helped the movement.

The story of school desegregation in the United States started with a civil action lawsuit raised in the first district court of Kanas on June 10, 1951. Mr. Oliver Brown brought his complaint to the Board of Education of Topeka. The complaint was simple, “[the] plaintiffs were being deprived of the equal protection

Throughout American history, schools have been segregated by race due to a common idea in society that although schools are separate they are still equal. Regardless of this belief, schools across the country were far from equal. Certain states made it illegal for black people to get an education resulting in most of them being illiterate. Plessy Vs. Ferguson created the idea of separate but equal in 1896, but doctrine was overturned in 1954 by the controversial Brown Vs. Board decision, resulting in the beginning of a new change that would be made in American schools. This decision is a symbolic moment in the history of American education because the shift in schools. The decision is still fundamental today due to the fact that segregation has now become about issues such as gender, sexual orientation, religion, and not just race. It is vital to understand this concept of segregation in schools so teachers can learn how to avoid segregation resulting in an inclusive class.

First, you can’t be separate but equal . For an example Ruby Bridges was treated unequally in the Civil Rights movement . She should’ve been integrated into classes with white children from the start . that’s what I meant when I said you can’t be separate but equal . Separate but equal is not equal . The principal thought it was equal because she was still getting taught but at the end of the day Ruby was still separate from whites and that’s not equal . Equal is when everybody is getting treated fairly . Equal is when Ruby and all the other blacks is in the same classes in a great school and getting taught the same .