Correlation In The Civil Rights Movement

Correlation and Causation in the Civil Rights Movement:
The Court’s Causal Influence on the Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights movement was a collaborative effort towards equal rights for African Americans. In 1954, the Supreme Court deemed “separate but equal” unconstitutional in the case, Brown v. Board of Education. Some scholars of the Supreme Court argue that the Court had direct, causal influence on the Civil Rights movement, while some argue that the Court had little impact. Expanding on Gerald N. Rosenberg’s arguments in The Hollow Hope and Michael Klarman’s arguments in From Jim Crow to Civil Rights, I argue that Rosenberg’s analysis of the Supreme Court’s action in the Civil Rights movement was most accurate.
111). Rosenberg claims that there was no increase in media coverage after Brown, providing ample data that supports his argument. According to the data Rosenberg provides, there was only a substantial increase in media coverage following large demonstrations, such as Montgomery, Little Rock, and Birmingham. In 1954, when Brown was decided, there was only an increase from 107 news entries in 1953 to 154 entries in 1954 (Rosenberg 2008, pg. 114). However, in 1956, during the Montgomery Boycott, there was a large increase from 135 entries to 402 (Rosenberg 2008, pg. 114). Again, there was a substantial increase in news coverage when Little Rock occurred. When the Birmingham demonstrations occurred, news entries increased from 249 to 489 (Rosenberg 2008, pg. 114). Although Flemming, et al in One Voice Among Many: The Supreme Court’s Influence on Attentiveness to Issues in the United States, criticizes Rosenberg’s use of media, they are misguided. Flemming, et al site three Supreme Court cases for having the most media coverage. They site Brown v. Board, Cooper v. Aaron, and Griffin v. Consolidated School Board of Prince Edward County. Flemming, et al fail to acknowledge that there was a significant increase in media coverage in 1956 when the Montgomery Boycott occurred. This increase in media was larger than the increase in 1954 (Flemming, et al 1995, pg. 1239). Next, Flemming, et al attribute the largest increase in media coverage to Cooper (Flemming, et al 1995, pg. 1239). They fail to recognize the simultaneous occurrence of Little Rock. Rosenberg claims that the increase in media was due to Little Rock, not a Supreme Court case. Flemming, et al attribute another increase in media coverage to Griffin (Flemming, et al 1995, pg. 1239). However, they fail