The Supreme Court Reverses Course: Brown v. Board of Educat

The Supreme Court Reverses Course: Brown v. Board of Education

Open Ended

What do you think it means to "reverse course"? What do you think the Supreme Court did?

Do you recognize this man?

• What do you know about him?

What do you remember about Plessy v Ferguson?

Words to Know

• segregationn(noun): forcing one group to be separate from another

• unanimous (adjective): all together, agreeing

• inferiority (adjective): lower than, less than

• inherently (adverb): built in, permanent

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The Supreme Court Reverses Course: Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas (1954)

In 1951, the family of elementary school student Linda Brown was part of a group of African American families who sued the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, on the grounds that the school district violated their children’s 14th Amendment rights.

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 In Linda’s specific case, her parents argued that it was unfair that Linda had to walk across a busy street to catch a bus to go to a school far away designated for black children instead of being able to attend the school much closer to her home that was designated for white children.

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The Brown case worked its way through the court system up to the Supreme Court, where a unanimous decision was made. The justices ruled that school segregation did violate the students’ 14th Amendment rights of equal protection, thereby overturning its earlier decision in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The court stated that segregation in and of itself created a social inferiority among the marginalized group, in this case African Americans, making it inherently unequal. 

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was one of the lawyers who successfully argued on behalf of the African American families represented in the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) case. Marshall later became the first African American on the United States Supreme Court.

Document Study #3: The U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka (1954)

Writing for the unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated (excerpts from the decision):

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Segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of race, pursuant to state laws permitting or requiring such segregation, denies to Negro children the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment - even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors of white and Negro schools may be equal. Pp. 486-496. 

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(a) The history of the Fourteenth Amendment is inconclusive as to its intended effect on public education. Pp. 489-490.

(d) Segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race deprives children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal. Pp. 493-494. 

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(e) The "separate but equal" doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 , has no place in the field of public education. P. 495. [347 U.S. 483, 484] 

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In each of the cases, minors of the Negro race, through their legal representatives, seek the aid of the courts in obtaining admission to the public schools of their community on a nonsegregated basis. In each instance, [347 U.S. 483, 488] they had been denied admission to schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to race. This segregation was alleged to deprive the plaintiffs of the equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment.

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he plaintiffs contend that segregated public schools are not "equal" and cannot be made "equal," and that hence they are deprived of the equal protection of the laws. 

Open Ended

What were the arguments brought to this case by the African American families regarding segregated schools?

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We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does.

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To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.

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We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. This disposition makes unnecessary any discussion whether such segregation also violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Open Ended

What was the Supreme Court's answer to this question?

We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities?

Open Ended

If the Supreme Court believed that all “tangible” school qualities (quality and amount of teachers, facilities, resources, curriculum, etc.) were equal between black and white schools, would they have ruled differently in this case? Quote a phrase or sentence from the document to support your position and write it below. Then explain.

Open Ended

Why did the court believe that separate could not ever be equal? Explain, and cite a passage from the text to support your position.

Open Ended

How did the Supreme Court reverse itself with its decision in Brown v. Board?