Thurgood Marshall : A Story Of The Movie

The theme of “a failure of justice” for African Americans living in the present-day United States dates

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.

To begin, the “Plessy V. Ferguson” case was an act of protest and how a one-eighth black man purchased a first class ticket and sat in a white reserved seat. You may think that this would not be a big deal because this man is only one eight black and seven eighths Caucasian, well this created so much controversy. Just because Homer

Spike Lee's version of Malcolm X's life is similar to the historical Malcolm X. By watching the movie and knowing who he was and his beliefs, one can easily tell how alike they are.

On August 28, 1963, John Lewis delivered his memorable speech on Washington to a 200,000 crowd of activist demanding peace and equality. Lewis’ purpose is to inspire others to join their march and make a mark on history. He adopts a demanding and bold tone in order to persuade the black activists and politicians to change the social norms and to join the social revolution. By demonstrating his demanding claims for equal rights to the politicians, whites, and African - Americans, John Lewis effectively utilizes syntax and diction to adequately get his message of hope, equality and desegregation.

To begin with, Thurgood Marshall’s dedication was important in ending Jim Crow. He had a major role in the success of the NAACP. He stood right by Charles Houston’s side going through thick and thin. Marshall was sent all over the United States to fight court cases involving injustice for blacks. He himself was denied the right to attend at a law school because of his race. He led to the end of Jim Crow by fighting segregation cases for more than twenty years. Many of his cases involved integrating black and white schools or getting admission for denied black students. In his time, he won 29 out of the 32 cases he argued in front of the Supreme Court. All the rights that Thurgood Marshall had won for black people ended the long era of Jim Crow.

In the year of 2015, more than 102 unarmed African American people were slaughtered by police officers, making it nearly twice every week. Trayvon Martin was the first people to influence the Black Lives Matter Movement creating a guide to end police brutality regarding African Americans. Although some people believe the Black Lives Matter Movement was successful because of their huge exposure, it was not successful because many unarmed African Americans who were murdered did not receive justice, prejudice people towards Blacks are still stereotyping, and there is still police brutality.

The United States’ attention was captivated on the Supreme Court Case of Powell vs Alabama during the 1930s. During the time period, this case revealed the brutal treatment towards African Americans more than any other event. The case began on March 25, 1931, when a group of young white and African American youths were traveling on a train to find a job. A physical encounter broke out between them and the white youths were thrown out of the train. Then they reported the incident to a stationmaster, who stopped the train. The police arrived to gather the nine African Americans and brought them to jail. Nine young African Americans were recognized as the “Scottsboro boys”. They were accused of rape of two white women on that train. The white jury convicted eight of them, all except one, the youngest at 12-years-old, and were sentenced to death. These youths were falsely charged with raping two white women in Alabama. Although there was no evidence that linked the African Americans to the white women, they were still charged with sexual assault. The two women -- fearing prosecution for their sexual relationship with the white men agreed to testify against the black youths. The Supreme Court Case of Powell vs Alabama is crucial in both Civil Rights history and in the evolution of the Constitution.

Being the only dissenting justice in the case Plessy v. Ferguson Justice Harlan spoke of a constitution that did not see a difference between its citizens. That the constitution provides equality for all, that it is color blind in fact he stated that “Our Constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens” . These words would make Justice Harlan a hero in the eyes of many he stood up for those who couldn’t and he stood alone. However, what many people don’t realize is that these words were not simply stated by a Supreme Court Justice. But by a Supreme Court Justice who was a former slaveholder, who at one point did not recognize nor respect the Emancipation Proclamation and a judge who also refused to recognize or the Thirteenth

“The bottom line is, people have a right to live their lives even if it doesn’t match what you think is correct. When we fight for civil rights, we must fight for equality for all; anything less is hypocrisy and an insult to the definition of justice itself.” Rev. Al Sharpton is a long time civil rights leader, minister, talk show host, and even has been known to give president Obama advice on civil rights issues. Sharpton’s article is set up by touching on unfair transgender laws in North Carolina, statements made by U.S. representatives, and the civil rights movement as a whole. He limits the article the time period beginning in the civil rights movement. Ding this allows the reader to only think about civil rights from a more progressive mindset. Sharpton does this all from his view. Due to his experience as a civil rights leader he speaks about the movement from a stronger perspective than most.

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.

How does the case of Ossian and Gladys Sweet reveal the racism of the 1920s and affect other African American people?

"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

2014: Two years after the death of Trayvon Martin, the world was introduced to Michael Brown, a Ferguson, Missouri Black native who had just become the next victim of a fatal officer involved shooting. In the early morning of August 9, 2014, the 18 year old man was said to be involved in a strong arm robbery of a convenience store. Officer Darren Wilson received the alert from the police dispatch and quickly surveyed the neighborhood until finding a walker who fit the victim’s description. The officer confronted the man, which was indeed Michael Brown, and continued to use aggressive tactics when questioning him. It is still unclear as to what transpired from the time the officer arrived to the ending result, but video from a bystander shows

In the movie “Marshall” we take a look at one of Thurgood Marshall early cases. In “Marshall”, Thurgood starts off at a train station getting ready to board and some bad cats walk up to him and started screaming obscene things at Thurgood. We see Thurgood going into the NAACP office and someone is waiting for him to tell him he will be taking a rape case in New York. Thurgood tells his wife that he will have to leave again for another court case. So he goes to New York and enlists the help of local lawyer Samuel Friedman. Marshall needed a co-counselor based in Connecticut to help him argue the case, someone more familiar with the laws and politics particular to the state. Sam’s response wasn’t to welcoming. He felt like this was a case that could possible ruin his career. He wanted nothing to do with it. After a few movie minutes we go to see the man accused of rape. It’s an African American male named Joseph Spell. Spell is accused of raping his former boss Eleanor Strubing. Mrs.Strubing had come home from dinner with friends. She was fresh from the shower and wearing only a robe when Spell knocked on her bedroom door and asked if he could borrow some money. She claims Spell raped her made her get dressed took her downstairs, bound her hands and feet, and raped her again. After forcing her to write a ransom note, he put her in the car, cut off the bottom of her dress and gagged her with the remnant, and drove until a policeman stopped the car. The officer did not