Research Paper On Brown V Board Of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education is inarguably one of the most revolutionary Supreme Court cases in history. The case, decided in 1954, overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine that had prevailed in American society for the first half of the twentieth century. Interactions and relationships between races had been dominated by racial segregation and intense racism. Up until the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court had always found seemingly roundabout ways of justifying the segregation that existed in the American system. The decision by the court to declare the “separate but equal” public school system as unconstitutional overturned the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, paved the way for racial …show more content…
When the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, the education of Africans Americans was severely limited, almost to the point of non-existence. Warren says that in fact, “Any education of Negroes was forbidden by law in some states. Today, in contrast, many Negroes have achieved outstanding success in the arts and sciences, as well as in the business and professional world…the effect of the Amendment on Northern States was generally ignored in the congressional debates.” (Brest et. Al, 899) The advancement of African Americans could not have been predicted back when the Amendment was ratified, so at the time discrimination was based off of the lowly status that African Americans possessed. Congress and the American public generally accepted segregation as a norm, but Warren implied that this could not be the case anymore. By promoting the success of African Americans, Warren went against the main principles of Plessy v. Ferguson, which deemed African Americans as an inferior race and neglected to accept their American citizenship. In this case, the Court appears to have adopted a completely different view of the status of racial
Brown v. Board of Education is inarguably one of the most revolutionary Supreme Court cases in history. The case, decided in 1954, overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine that had prevailed in American society for the first half of the twentieth century. Interactions and relationships between races had been dominated by racial segregation and intense racism. Up until the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court had always found seemingly roundabout ways of justifying the segregation that existed in the American system. The decision by the court to declare the “separate but equal” public school system as unconstitutional overturned the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, paved the way for racial …show more content…
When the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, the education of Africans Americans was severely limited, almost to the point of non-existence. Warren says that in fact, “Any education of Negroes was forbidden by law in some states. Today, in contrast, many Negroes have achieved outstanding success in the arts and sciences, as well as in the business and professional world…the effect of the Amendment on Northern States was generally ignored in the congressional debates.” (Brest et. Al, 899) The advancement of African Americans could not have been predicted back when the Amendment was ratified, so at the time discrimination was based off of the lowly status that African Americans possessed. Congress and the American public generally accepted segregation as a norm, but Warren implied that this could not be the case anymore. By promoting the success of African Americans, Warren went against the main principles of Plessy v. Ferguson, which deemed African Americans as an inferior race and neglected to accept their American citizenship. In this case, the Court appears to have adopted a completely different view of the status of racial