Brown V Board Of Education Case Study

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

Everlasting Effects

3/22/2012

Ismael Guerrero

Ismael Guerrero
Mr. Amoroso
U.S. History
03/12/13
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas The case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas was the winning case that leads to the desegregation of public schools all across America. Brown v. Board of Education solved six cases from four different states; South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, and Delaware, all pleading for the desegregation of schools.(Leon) The case solved the issue of segregation in schools, forever changing the mindsets of children across America. The case of Brown V. Board has an everlasting affect on public schools all across America,
desegregating schools all across the nation has had a lasting effect on the views of the different races across America. Oliver Brown, an African American, was angered and disturbed when his two daughters were not allowed into a nearby school in their town.
The two girls had to walk a long distance through a railroad switchyard, just to get to their black school. Mr. Brown’s daughters were not allowed into their nearby school because they were African American and that school was for the white race. Mr. Brown decided to take this to the court going against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in 1951. (Clayborne) Not the first of the desegregation cases, but the case that solved it all. Mr. Brown decided to partner with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in order to broaden his chances of winning, with the help of George E. C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James M. Nabrit Jr., Mr. Brown could reach his goal of desegregating schools. Mr. Brown dedicated his time to find the right lawyers, and soon his team of lawyers from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People took the case to court and had a long struggle that was worth the wait. After getting to the district courts and wining favor of the court the case moved to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Fred Vinson did not reach a conclusion and decided to keep the “separate but equal” decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, from
1896. After gaining favor of the district courts, Mr. Brown and the lawyers from the National Association for Advancement of Colored People faced their greatest challenge in 1952 when they reached the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Fred Vinson and the court did not come to a conclusion and decided to rehear the case in December of 1953. During those months Chief Justice Fred Vinson died, and President Eisenhower appointed the Governor of California, Earl Warren as the new Chief Justice. Chief Justice Earl Warren accomplished what Fred Vinson could not. (History of Brown v. Board) Mr. Brown and the lawyers from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, lead by Thurgood Marshall used the work of Kenneth Clark who studied the effects of segregation on the African American children in America, to their advantage. Clark’s experiment proved that segregation and discrimination had a negative effect on how African American children see themselves. (Clayborne)The court reached a unanimous decision and on May 17th, 1954 the court ordered, “Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a greater effect upon the colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating 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 benefits they would receive in a racially integrated school system.” (Leon) The court had finally decided that segregation in public schools in unlawful. Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the court’s opinion and stated that the only purpose for the segregation in public schools was to discriminate and subjugate the African American race. We cannot turn the clock back in time, so Chief Justice Earl Warren said “We conclude, unanimously, that in the field of education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate facilities are inherently unequal” (Clayborne) deeming the conclusion of Plessy v. Ferguson unconstitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson pleaded that “separate but equal” was constitutional and the U.S. allowed segregation in public schools. Now with “separate but equal” impeached schools all across America began the desegregation process. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wanted to reverse the mindsets of the African American children because of the harmful effects caused to their perception of themselves.
Clark’s experiment displayed negative results in the way African American children perceive themselves, especially in the eyes of society and not just only for African American children but also the white children. The children were degraded to the point where they believed truly that whites were superior; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s goal was not only to desegregate schools but to change the views of African American children across America. The southern side of the U.S. frequently protested the integration of schools, claiming it was against the Bible and that they would not allow it because it went against their morals and beliefs. During the time of slavery in America slave owners taught their slaves that it was a divine law to be segregated and that it was supposed to be that way, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wanted to derive that thought from the entire African American race. The Christians in the south used pieces of scripture to keep the African Americans out of their churches and out of their schools saying that they have the right to segregate. Protests against integration usually turned violent because of the way the southerners saw segregation. African American children across America
protested with their parents, not understanding why the can play with white friends but not learn together. Schools and school districts decided to mandate the desegregation of schools on their own time and not “all deliberate speed” which the court had ordered. The process of integration was a very tricky process, schools did not want to enforce it too fast because the discrimination rates and hate crime rates would elevate quickly. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was aware that integration would cause a lot of African Americans to face harsh discrimination, but the sacrifice was not for immediate change, but to leave a strong legacy of equality in academics in America. After the case, not only African America children were allowed into white schools, but many other races were admitted, including Asians. (Clayborne) With integration in the process, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People felt their work was almost complete. With integrated schools all races will have an equal chance of education, to succeed and to prove their race academically equal. Latinos, African Americans, and Asians soon entered into once segregated schools all across America, though they faced harsh discrimination each student realized the importance of their decision to attend a once all white school. The social lives of every race began changing, not all whites hated African Americans, but the majority chose to commit hate crimes against them. The document of which this nation stands for was becoming true, all people were created equally and no matter what race a man is born, he should receive the equal chance of succeeding in America. The lives of teachers, students, and parents had changed completely with the new integration laws. The short term effects came quickly and people suffered through them, soon a wave of successful minorities would come due to the equal chances in education for all people, not many African Americans had become successful in the eyes of Americans, mainly because in America financial success is based upon academic success, and African Americans did not have the equal opportunities that the white race always had. African Americans had been oppressed by the white race, after slavery discrimination and hate only grew, and soon the African American race was pushed farther down in their social standing. Integration not only gave African Americans a chance to reach success, but also it helped strengthen the mentality of the African American race. Now African Americans did not have to choose a life of hard labor, as the majority did, but they now had equal opportunities to become well educated, lifting their self esteem and expectations. This was a confidence booster that lifted the spirits of many African Americans, allowing high expectations, and eliminating the judgments and stereotypes imposed on the African American race by the white race in America. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wasn’t only looking for immediate results, but wanted the African American race to have a place in American society, not only in their time, but in modern day America. The influence left by Mr. Brown and the lawyers from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is very important throughout society, allowing African Americans to be confident in their studies, and the benefit of knowing that they are receiving an equal amount of opportunities as all the other races in America. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was set to change the perception of African Americans in America, it was up to the students now, and they had to prove themselves equal in academics and in life. Integration was another step closer to desegregation of the nation as a whole, so students and parents could not pass up the opportunity, it was time for social change, and integration was a huge step towards changing the perception of African Americans in the field of academics, and soon in society itself. Not only did it affect the way African Americans saw themselves, but the way they were seen by whites in the country, now whites could change their hate and low image of the African American race to an equal person, with just as much potential as them. The white race will no longer stand superior in the eyes of society, equality was stretching across the country affecting people from all races. The mixture of races in schools, at first, provided a very negative atmosphere, but soon acceptance into classes, and groups allowed all races to enjoy a diverse school, full of various cultures. Going to a school full of various races from all over the world enabled people to learn about other cultures, not through textbooks, or lectures, but through personal experiences and stories. It was not all about the African Americans and the whites, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans were integrated into public schools. With so much diversity, school curriculum went farther than books and knowledge, acceptance was soon found by many colored people, weather African, Latino, Asian, or Native American, the white race would not be able to continue their hate crimes and discrimination against the minority population. All races would be forced to accept each other in the long run, breaking barriers for America as a country. Soon diversity will reach government positions, work offices, and even whole cities. Integration taught the citizens of the United States to become one and stand strong in unity, regardless of race, no hate crimes had moral justification anymore. The United States is structured by various different races, and stands strong until today due to its diversity, and sense of equality for everyone who lives within its borders. The simple immediate effects of integration are almost nothing compared to the long term mental affects that it caused. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas reversed the Clark experiment not only accomplishing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s goal in the African American race but the, majority of the minority races. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was trying to change the minds of Americans, to stop discrimination and segregation, to really see everyman equally, and because of the effort displayed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People America stands unified without segregation even today, schools are rich in diversity, and stay culturally strong. In present day America, thanks to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, schools are filled with various ethnicities and are culturally diverse. Americans no longer are classified by their race, hate crimes are no longer present, and everyone has and must have the equal amount of opportunities as everyone else to succeed, regardless of race. Not a single race is looked down upon, academically or socially, every person from whatever race has the chance to become anything they desire. America is now a truly equal country where everyman can live up to what every they desire, whether it be the president of the United States, or simply an office worker, everyone faces equal opportunities, and that has changed the social mindsets and outlook on the races in America. The social outlook today on each race is spread out evenly, everywhere Americans look there are people of different races and ethnicities, there isn’t a main race that displays academic success or even financial success, that is all due to the influence given off from the cases of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The effects that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People planned for became real, and today students, teachers, administrators, and society itself don’t discriminate or segregate because of the everlasting influence that came from Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Kids all over the United States attend schools that allow them to interact with different cultures, and learn from them especially allowing them to see each other equally, that in society no one stands above another. The mindset of Americans today clearly matches the goal that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wanted to reach in 1951. Though Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas is now just history in the eyes of many Americans, its influence and legacy live on in the United States, racial standings and perceptions are all equal due to the efforts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and lead lawyer Thurgood Marshall for what they accomplished decades ago. In the push for civil rights the integration of schools was a necessary step to push for integration of all public areas. The great strive for integration paid off in many ways, influencing many people in the 1950’s and 1960’s and giving those who faced oppression hope that one day they will be seen equal in the eyes of society, and that they will be given equal rights in the face of the government. The United States has seen the effects still today, as the United States has had their first black president, showing that race should not be an issue in social, economic, or political fields, and that all races are equal, all men are created equal. The effects of segregation on the minds and social standings of minority races or ethnicities caused negative views and low self esteem in the eyes of many children, especially when the segregation was not only allowed by the law, but enforced by the law. During the civil rights movement, academic success was rare among the minority races, mainly because they all had separated learning facilities. The oppression imposed on African Americans was damaged harshly after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People found only benefits through their long struggle for integration. Segregation displayed negative effects on both the colored and the white population, and was deemed unconstitutional because the 14th amendment was being broken by the government not giving equal protection of the law. The law had oppressed the minority group and therefore required to deem the ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson unconstitutional. The effects of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas will remain everlasting in the minds of children all across the United States, integrating public schools in the United States has called for different views upon races or ethnicities all across America.

Bibliography
Carson, Clayborne. Civil Rights Chronicle: The African-American Struggle for Freedom. Lincolnwood, IL: Legacy, 2003. Print.

Friedman, Leon. The Civil Rights Reader: Basic Documents of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: Walker, 1967. Print

"History of Brown v. Board of Education." USCOURTSGOV RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.