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The Brown v. Board of Education decision is one of the most important moments in American history. Here’s a look at the events that led up to this momentous ruling.
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Introduction
Brown v. Board of Education was a turning point in American history, one that led to the eventual desegregation of public schools across the nation. This historic Supreme Court case originated in Topeka, Kansas, where a young girl named Linda Brown was denied admission to her local elementary school because she was black.
With the help of the NAACP, Linda’s father Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education, claiming that segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case made its way to the Supreme Court, where on May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered a unanimous opinion declaring segregated schools unconstitutional.
The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for future civil rights legislation and forever changed the landscape of education in America.
The Plessy Era
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the “separate but equal” doctrine for public facilities. The case originated in Louisiana in 1892, when the state passed a law that required separate railroad cars for black and white passengers. A black man named Homer Plessy refused to sit in the black car and was arrested. Plessy’s lawyers argued that the law violated the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equality for all citizens.
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the jurisprudence of the United States, upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of “separate but equal”. The decision was handed down by a vote of 7 to 1 with the majority opinion written by Chief Justice Melville Fuller and joined by Associate Justices John Harlan, David Josiah Brewer, Henry Billings Brown, Edward Douglass White, William Rufus Day, and Rufus Peckham. Associate Justice Joseph P. Bradley filed a concurring opinion.
The case originated in Louisiana in 1892, when the state passed a law that required railroads to provide “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.” A group of black and white citizens formed an organization called the Comité des Citoyens dedicated to overturning the law and integrating Louisiana’s railroad cars. They persuaded Homer Plessy, who was one-eighth black and seven-eighths white, to take part in an integrated train ride from New Orleans’ French Quarter to Covington, Louisiana.
Plessy was arrested and jailed for violating the state’s racial segregation law. He sued the railroad on the grounds that the law violated his 13th Amendment right to equal protection under the law as well as his 14th Amendment right to travel freely between states. The case made its way to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Fuller delivered the opinion of
the court upholding segregation under a “separate but equal” standard. In his dissent, Associate Justice John Harlan argued that segregated facilities were inherently unequal and violated Plessy’s constitutional rights.
The “separate but equal” doctrine remained good law until it was overturned by the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Brown v. Board of Education
The Plessy Era refers to the time period between the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and the Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. During this time, racial segregation was legal throughout the United States.
The case of Plessy v. Ferguson began when a black man named Homer Plessy refused to sit in the “colored” section of a train car in Louisiana. Plessy was arrested and charged with violating the state’s segregation laws. He argued that these laws violated his constitutional right to equal protection under the law, but the Supreme Court disagreed. In its decision, the Court established the “separate but equal” doctrine, which allowed for racial segregation as long as both black and white people had access to equal facilities.
This doctrine was used to justify segregated schools, public transportation, restaurants, housing, and many other areas of public life across the country. Although “separate but equal” did not mean that black people were actually treated equally, it did give legal support to Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination against black Americans.
The Brown v. Board of Education case began when a black girl named Linda Brown had to walk more than a mile to get to her segregated school, while a white school was only seven blocks away from her home. Her father attempted to enroll her in the white school but was denied because of Linda’s race. He then filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education, arguing that segregated schools were unconstitutional. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Linda Brown and struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine.
In its decision, the Court ruled that “separate but equal” facilities were not actually equal and that segregated schools deprived black children of their constitutional right to an education that was equal to that of white children. This ruling paved the way for integration and helped end discrimination against black Americans in education and other areas of public life
The Civil Rights Movement
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all Americans equal protection of the laws. Brown was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement and helped pave the way for the desegregation of public schools and other public facilities across the United States.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public (known as “public accommodations”).
The legislation had strong support from both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans in Congress, as well as president Lyndon B. Johnson. The act was signed into law by Johnson on July 2, 1964, at the White House. At the time, the Senate needed a two-thirds supermajority to pass legislation; this meant that for every vote in favor of the bill there could be no more than one vote against it. Thanks to a successful Southern filibuster led by Senators Richard Russell (D-GA) and Strom Thurmond (D-SC), the Senate required 67 votes for cloture to end debate on the bill. The final vote in the Senate was 73-27 in favor of cloture, with 27 Senators—all from Southern states—voting against it. In the House of Representatives, 235 Congressmen voted in favor while 153—all from Southern states—voted against it. And so, with bipartisan support from Northern Democrats and Republicans, as well as a handful of southern Democrats led by Representatives Emanuel Celler (D-NY) and William Colmer (D-MS), on July 2nd 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the Civil Rights Movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guaranteed that all citizens had the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, the Act banned literacy tests and other measures that had been used by states to disenfranchise racial minorities. The Act also created federal oversight of elections in jurisdictions with histories of discriminatory voter practices, and authorized the U.S. Attorney General to file lawsuits against states or local governments that were engaged in discriminatory voting practices.
Conclusion
The case of Brown v. Board of Education was one of the most influential Supreme Court cases in our nation’s history. The decision not only led to the desegregation of public schools, but also had a profound impact on race relations in America. The decision was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement and helped to create a more equal society.
