Essay about the Black FIgures

There was once a time when slavery was a dominant philosophy in the United States of America, especially in the South. Black people were the workforce for the white Southern slave owners and their plantation work. While there definitely were white people in the South against slavery, they were in the minority compared to the rest of the white population with slaves or those attempting to obtain slave labor. Thankfully, there was an organization dubbed the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was an organization that helped slaves escape through a series of safe houses for slaves to hide in, conductors to lead them to those safe houses, and lastly, a path up North, where slavery was illegal. I believe they are one of the most important organizations for the Civil Rights movement in history. I say this because freeing slaves that were suffering, especially if they had terrible slave masters, equates to saving lives.

This effort also bore the benefit of enabling those who had escaped from bounty hunters hunting for escaped slaves to spread the word about the evils of slavery if they had made it out of the country. They could also seek refuge and protection up North from the bounty hunters seeking to earn some money. Also, if a few slaves had escaped and the master had become more hostile, the others would often wished to escape, and ultimately, many did manage to flee. Henry “Box” Brown and Frederick Douglas, for example, were influential figures who, once they had made it to other countries or states, spread the word about slavery and their experiences. While they were not freed by the Underground Railroad, they did help other slaves and helped spread the word and experiences of being a slave, which resulted in inspiring and empowering more people to become abolitionists. Thanks to more abolitionists in the North, and the South becoming egotistical and wanting to create their own nation, the Civil War broke out, which ultimately resulted in the emancipation of slaves.

The education system in the United States of America is about as free as the United States itself. There is no segregation in the school system anymore, but this was not always the case. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson that white and black facilities could be segregated, as long as they were equal. Of course, the pattern of racism in the USA allowed for segregated facilities but did not mandate their equality. Before 1954 school segregation was legal. There were “colored” schools and “white” schools. Anyone who did not have light skin was not allowed to attend an all-white school. Colored schools were outfitted with outdated and pre-used equipment, while the white schools had the best and newest equipment. Not surprisingly, this sparked outrage as “colored” people were not receiving the same level of education as whites. This all ended in 1951 when a man named Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education in Kansas for not allowing his daughter to attend a white school that offered a superior education.

This case continued indefinitely until it reached the Supreme Court, in conjunction with four other like cases. The attorney for this case was Thurgood Marshall, a member of the NAACP. The case is named Brown Vs. The Board of Education. I regard this as one of the seminal events in civil rights history as it assured equal education for all children. Education is paramount in this country. If one is ignorant, they are liable to be manipulated and mistreated. Consequently, everyone can now receive the education they deserve. This case also granted Ruby Bridges the legal authority to effectuate this case by integrating a school in defiance of the law, thus disregarding the Supreme Court's ruling and non-integration. Due to her efforts, it was demonstrated that black people are equally capable of following the white school curriculum, thereby fortifying the Civil Rights movement. Ultimately, in my view, it served as a benchmark in the Civil Rights movement as they moved closer to achieving equal rights.

As I see it, Thurgood Marshall was the most pivotal and influential figure in the civil rights movement. Thurgood Marshall was an exceptional lawyer and the first black Supreme Court Justice. He was both an outstanding student and a member of the debate team, undoubtedly contributing to his excellence as a lawyer. Alas, when he sought to enroll in the University of Maryland, his skin color barred him which made him an ideal witness to racial discrimination. He represented cases before the Supreme Court 33 times and won 29 of these trials. During the presentation of the Brown vs. Board of Education case to the Supreme Court, he was the lawyer who contested that schools should not be segregated. Owing to the demise of one of the Supreme Court justices, he emerged victorious, thus bringing about the end of school segregation. Eventually, all schools became integrated. Thirteen years later, he would be appointed Supreme Court Justice, a significant step towards proving that black people can perform equally to white people. He became the first black Supreme Court Justice and secured one of the most important legal victories in history. Therefore, I posit that he is the most significant Civil Rights leader in history.

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