Legal Proceedings
“We must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place
in American life throughout the Nation"
-Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education
in American life throughout the Nation"
-Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education began in the early 1950’s when Oliver Brown attempted to enroll his daughter, Linda Brown; into Sumner School a few blocks from their home. During this time, Linda was enrolled in the African American Monroe School that was located across town. After being
denied entry into Sumner because of race, Brown turned to the The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded in 1909 with the emphasis of ensuring the 'political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination'(NAACP). The NAACP was able to recruit Brown and twelve other parents who felt as if their child should not be denied access to a school closer to their home.
In 1951, a class action suit was filed against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The plaintiffs were thirteen parents who represented their twenty children. The parents desired the Board of Education to reverse its policy on racial segregation allowing their children to attend Sumner School. At this point, Kansas law stated that districts were allowed to maintain separate elementary school facilities for both African
American and Caucasian students. When the suit was filed it became known as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas because the leaders of the NAACP thought that the court would better receive this case if it had an established man at the forefront. Furthermore, the NAACP added four cases, to be argued along with the Brown case; that consisted of the same type of mistreatment of African Americans. These cases were Briggs v. Elliott in South Carolina, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County in Virginia, Gebhart v. Belton in Delaware, and Bolling v. Sharpe in Washington D. C.
On December 9, 1952 Thurgood Marshall argued the Brown case for the parents in front of the United States Supreme Court. Marshall’s argument centered on the violation of the Fourteenth Amendment under the Equal Protection Clause that provides all citizens ‘equal protection of the laws’(Cornell). Marshall presented to the Supreme Court that the NAACP found the facilities and teachers to be equal, however being separate would have detrimental effects on the African American children since it would merely circulate subservient thought. Once argued, the Supreme Court could not declare a verdict on this case. In hopes to scrutinize the case further, the Supreme Court asked to reconvene in one year. With a continuance, their desire was to inspect whether the Fourteenth Amendment was being called into question.
The Supreme Court reunited on December 9, 1953 to the revisit whether the Fourteenth Amendment was violated. However, prior to this court date, the Supreme Court was unsure of how they were going to vote. While the Supreme Court met with all of its justices, there was not a unanimous decision. Although majority rules, they felt that if there was anything but a unanimous decision, there would be turmoil. When Justice Vinson passed way in the fall of 1953, President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Warren worked endlessly to ensure the justices came to a unanimous decision in favor of Brown. After presenting his opinion of the case to his justices multiple times, Warren finally received the unanimous decision he had been hoping for.
Once Warren received the unanimous decision from the justices, the Supreme Court reconvened for the verdict. The Supreme Court found in favor of the plaintiffs overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision to terminate the segregation of schools.
denied entry into Sumner because of race, Brown turned to the The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded in 1909 with the emphasis of ensuring the 'political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination'(NAACP). The NAACP was able to recruit Brown and twelve other parents who felt as if their child should not be denied access to a school closer to their home.
In 1951, a class action suit was filed against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The plaintiffs were thirteen parents who represented their twenty children. The parents desired the Board of Education to reverse its policy on racial segregation allowing their children to attend Sumner School. At this point, Kansas law stated that districts were allowed to maintain separate elementary school facilities for both African
American and Caucasian students. When the suit was filed it became known as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas because the leaders of the NAACP thought that the court would better receive this case if it had an established man at the forefront. Furthermore, the NAACP added four cases, to be argued along with the Brown case; that consisted of the same type of mistreatment of African Americans. These cases were Briggs v. Elliott in South Carolina, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County in Virginia, Gebhart v. Belton in Delaware, and Bolling v. Sharpe in Washington D. C.
On December 9, 1952 Thurgood Marshall argued the Brown case for the parents in front of the United States Supreme Court. Marshall’s argument centered on the violation of the Fourteenth Amendment under the Equal Protection Clause that provides all citizens ‘equal protection of the laws’(Cornell). Marshall presented to the Supreme Court that the NAACP found the facilities and teachers to be equal, however being separate would have detrimental effects on the African American children since it would merely circulate subservient thought. Once argued, the Supreme Court could not declare a verdict on this case. In hopes to scrutinize the case further, the Supreme Court asked to reconvene in one year. With a continuance, their desire was to inspect whether the Fourteenth Amendment was being called into question.
The Supreme Court reunited on December 9, 1953 to the revisit whether the Fourteenth Amendment was violated. However, prior to this court date, the Supreme Court was unsure of how they were going to vote. While the Supreme Court met with all of its justices, there was not a unanimous decision. Although majority rules, they felt that if there was anything but a unanimous decision, there would be turmoil. When Justice Vinson passed way in the fall of 1953, President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Warren worked endlessly to ensure the justices came to a unanimous decision in favor of Brown. After presenting his opinion of the case to his justices multiple times, Warren finally received the unanimous decision he had been hoping for.
Once Warren received the unanimous decision from the justices, the Supreme Court reconvened for the verdict. The Supreme Court found in favor of the plaintiffs overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision to terminate the segregation of schools.
Chief Justice Earl Warren’s statement when addressing the court room on May 17, 1954:
“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... Segregation of white
and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored
children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law, for the
policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the
inferiority of the negro group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of
a child to learn. Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a
tendency to [retard] the educational and mental development of negro children
and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racial[ly]
integrated school system... We conclude that, in the field of public education,
the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and
others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason
of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws
guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”
“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... Segregation of white
and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored
children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law, for the
policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the
inferiority of the negro group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of
a child to learn. Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a
tendency to [retard] the educational and mental development of negro children
and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racial[ly]
integrated school system... We conclude that, in the field of public education,
the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and
others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason
of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws
guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”
For further information on the effects of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas trial on the United States, contiue to Effects.
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