Was America Really Great?

On April 19, 1866, the US Congress passed the first ever Civil Rights Act. It gave black Americans the right to own their own property, to have legal protection in business, and to take people to court. The act was also the first time that black Americans were called citizens of the United States. This meant that black Americans would have the same rights and privileges as all other US citizens. Another Civil Rights Act was passed in 1875. This act made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race in public places, such as restaurants. In 1883, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1875 act was unconstitutional on the basis that businesses had the right to choose which customers they served and which they could ignore. This allowed businesses that provided public facilities to choose to exclude black people. On June 1, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed. It became the most important civil rights organization fighting for the rights of black people in the United States. It is still active today and has a membership of about half a million. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court passed a judgment that changed the course of civil rights in the United States. In the case of Brown v. the Board of Education, the judges on the Supreme Court declared that racial segregation in education was unconstitutional and therefore against the law. This decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896. Shortly after noon on Monday May 17,

The Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the 1950s. Beginning particularly in 1954 when the Supreme Court overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” ruling that had allowed the South to maintain segregated schools from elementary school to graduate school. Typically, accommodations for black citizens were inferior to their white counterparts. Also in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This case focused on Linda Brown, a seven year old whose parents wanted to send her to an all-white school that was closer to their home. The NAACP lawyers successfully demonstrated to the Court that by being segregated

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

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).

The frustration with "separate but equal" 1896 continued until 1954 when the Brown v. BOE. 1954 marks the beginning of the contemporary Civil Rights Movement. During this time conditions in the South had come to the point of "separate but equal" was blatantly not equal and social justice organizations like the NAACP were pushing harder for justice not only with segregation but all aspects of injustice in American life. There hadn't been a legitimate enforcement of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment in the South for over 77

The 1954 Brown decision was the culmination of all the efforts, cases and changing public sediment over the first half of the Twentieth Century. In fact the case itself was a combination of five different cases all asking to reverse school segregation after being denied acceptance in their local white schools. In each case segregation of school was alleged to deprive the black children of equal protection granted under the Fourteenth Amendment. With the exception of one, a three-panel judge denied the children of such protection. Each case cited the doctrine of “separate but equal” and referred to Plessy v. Ferguson.

Racial equality is perhaps the most prominent aspect of civil rights and the one that has undergone the most changes since the Bill of Rights and the Constitution were first devised. One of the first major developments concerned the Civil War Amendment, which outlawed slavery. Future court rulings included the 1896 ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson, which established strict segregation between races under the title of "separate but equal." The ethos of Plessy v. Ferguson was reversed in 1954 with the case of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation and resulted in the racial integration of schools. More recently, in 1991, the court listed strict desegregation in the case of Darrell v. Oklahoma City.

The Civil Rights Movement brought many accomplishments to African Americans such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The key issues that African Americans fought for were voting rights, integration and racial equality. They were tired of the discrimination and humiliation they received as a result of the segregation laws imposed on them. “State laws mandated racial separation in schools, parks, playgrounds, restaurants, hotels, public transportation, theaters, restrooms and so on” (Blumberg 40). Lawsuits had been tried to gain rights such as the unsuccessful Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and the successful Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Although, the Brown v. Board of Education of

By the 19th century, many social forms of discrimination existed to keep Black Americans from being equal to White Americans. Laws like separate but equal where put into places to keep Black Americans from being in the same places as White Americans, like; neighborhoods, schools, churches, restaurants, and so on. White Americans also believed that Blacks should not have the right to vote; which led to many black movements for the continuous fight for equality in the nation of freedom. By 1954 the Brown vs. Board of Education case reversed the “separate but equal” doctrine that previously had been set in 1896, allowing children both White and Black children to attend the same schools and same classrooms. In

Civil rights were won in large parts through resolving disputes in court. One of the most successful supreme court decisions was Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Segregation had started back in the 1890’s. In 1896, the supreme court case Plessy v. Ferguson, had upheld the constitutionality of these state segregation laws. The court has ruled that “separate but equal” standard was constitutionality.Although schools were supposed to be equal, most schools in the south were greatly inferior to white ones. Starting in the 1930’s, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) lawyers began to challenging this “separate but equal” doctrine through the American court

Brown and the NAACP appealed to the Supreme Court on October 1, 1951. Their case was combined with other cases that challenged school segregation in other states. The Supreme Court first heard the case on December 9, 1952 but failed to reach a decision so they reargued the case on December 7, 1953. The Supreme Court struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine of Plessy for public education and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and required the desegregation of schools across America. Education is possibly the most important function of state and local governments today. Attendance laws and the amount of money spent of our education system both demonstrate the recognition of the importance placed on education in our society. Education is required in the performance of the most basic public responsibilities which includes the service in our armed forces. A good education is the foundation of good citizenship and helps children from every walk of life understand cultural values and help him or her to adjust normally to their ever changing environment. It is very doubtful that any child today may reasonably be expected to succeed in every aspect of life is they are denied the opportunity of an education which is offered equally to every child. Education is the opportunity offered to all and is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. “Brown v. Board of Education, widely celebrated as a promise to end segregation and bring about

School is an environment where children, whether they are white or black, come to learn and enjoy being with their friends. School segregation shows that inequality and injustice are clearly obvious. The laws that were made are unfair because of how they portray the amount of fundings and equipment are given to all-white schools rather than all-black schools. The decision that the supreme court made called the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was an attempt to outlaw segregation in schools. Many people tried to condemn the movement which sometimes led to violence. Segregation in schools make it harder for many black people to reach success in their life. Without the proper education and freedom to become what you want is an unfair advantage for white people to reach such high levels of success. All people should have the right to have a proper education and have the opportunity to become successful. This can only happen if segregation is

The Civil Rights Movement took place between the years 1954-1968, and its purpose was to to eliminate segregation and gain equal rights. Many believe that Rosa Parks put the movement into action, although her acts did reach unprecedented heights, the movement actually began in 1954. In 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was a huge turning point for how people thought of segregation within schools. The case would eventually come to an end on May 17, 1954, ruling that that stated separate educational facilities were inherently unequal. However, this was not the first tackle about this matter. In 1896, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case also declared that state laws establish separate public schools for black and white students denied black

Secondly, another main cause of the Civil Rights Movement was Brown vs The Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, a court unanimously ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. According to (CivilRights.org), “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 Court also noted that segregation has a detrimental effect on children of color and that the impact is more profound when it has the sanction of the law. To reach this conclusion, the Court made the unusual decision to rely on social science more than legal precedent. In its arguments and brief, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund had provided the testimony of more than 30 social scientists affirming the harmful effects of segregation on blacks and whites.” Further in-depth, Brown vs The Board of Education was five different court cases combined into one. They were all about African Americans being allowed to go to the same schools that caucasian children went to. The verdict to these cases elated members of the African American community. This gave them faith that with a little help and time their country

The African American Civil Rights movement made many efforts to desegregate school and other public places. One of the first victories came in 1954, which was the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case. The ruling basically stated that public schools should not be separated; they claimed that the schools were indeed