Being a Citizen to all African American Race

Arguably one of the greatest decisions made by the Supreme Court in the 20th Century In 1954. With a majority of Southern schools being segregated, Brown vs. Board of Ed. was one of 5 legal appeals that testified against “separate but equal”. The Cases took place in Kansas, Virginia, Delaware, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. All 5 cases dealt with racial segregation within the public school system. For every $150.00 that is spent on White public schools, only $50.00 was spent within Black public schools.

A year later- were created procedures under which school boards would desegregate their schools, leading three years after, in Little Rock Arkansas; federal troops escorted nine black children into a high school. Schools throughout the United States become multiracial. It enabled others to find a positive model in American racial justice. Oliver Brown deemed segregated schooling as unconstitutional and felt education needed to be equal to all races. This African American father concerns were key as to why. His 8- year-old daughter, Linda, would have to walk a hefty distance for school everyday. In response to this, Oliver Brown went to a white segregated school in Topeka, which was closer to home where she’d be safer, Linda’s admission was denied… Oliver knew this was wrong and knew he had to take action.A majority of the schools had no desks or even chairs. The books would often worn out and outdated (if there were to be any). A majority of buildings were often delipidated and unsafe. Yet, teacher were qualified, but only African Americans could teach students of color. Teaching materials were limited to nonexistent.

• Many stated that getting their children to school was an unruly hassle due to segregation.
• Silas Fleming argued he was, “craving light, the entire colored race is craving light, and the only way to reach the light is to start our children together in their infancy and they come up together.”
• A majority of the plaintiffs were young African American children that believed that separate education was unequal itself.
• Chairman of the education department for University of Kansas City, Hugh Speer, testified numerous accounts on behalf of his belief that Topeka’s all-white schools deserved more opposed to black schools.
• It was argued that some believed that African American children would be a “learning distraction“ to the superior white students.
• Defendants would argue that with the segregation in schooling taken place it would further prepare them for their adult segregation.
• The Constitution had no requirement that white and African American children had to attend the same schools.
• That the social separation was a somewhat regional custom; the states should be left free to regulate their own social affairs.
• Segregation was not harmful to the colored.
• Whites put a good dedication in effort to equalize the two educational systems.

But due to some black children still living with the effects of slavery, it would take some time to adjust before they were able to compete with white children in the same classroom.The Majority Court decision was to ban “separate but equal” consisting within the school system. With this it brought education equality to all races in school, together.The case added to the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Law. It ultimately lead to ending the “separate but equal” decision that started nearly 60 years before. Brown v. Board of Education eventually lead to the 15th Amendment, which protected voting rights and rights of being a citizen to all African American race.

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