In the Midwest town of Topeka, Kansas, a little girl named Linda Brown had to ride the bus five miles to school each day although a public school was located only four blocks from her house. The school wasn't full and the little girl met all of the requirements to attend the school except one. She was black. And blacks weren't allowed to go to white children's schools. Can you imagine having to go through anything like that? In this paper I will talk about the facts that lead to the case and the out come.
Plessy v. Ferguson said that, "separate but equal" concerning segregation of public places did not violate the constitution. It was at this time that separate schools for whites and black became the norm in southern society. This decision that legalized segregation was to blame.
It was not until 1954 that the issue of "separate but equal" was challenged. While trying to gain equal education opportunities for their children, that were not provided for under the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, African-American community leaders took action against the segregation in America's schools. With help from the local chapter of the NAACP, a group of thirteen parents filed a class action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka Schools.
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the .
"separate but equal" clause was unconstitutional because it violated the children's 14th amendment rights by separating them solely on the classification of the color of their skin. Chief Justice Warren said, "segregated schools are not equal and cannot be made equal, and hence they are deprived of the equal protection of the laws." This ruling in favor of integration was one of the most significant strides America has taken in favor of civil liberties.
This case was won on the federal level. It is a very popular case. I chose this because if it was not for the ruling of this particular case then I would not be able to sit in this very classroom.