Brown v Board of Education, 1954 Flashcards
What was the causes of the Brown v Board of Education case?
In 1951, Linda Brown was not allowed to go to the local white school (which was walking distance away from her house) because she was black. Whereas, the nearest black school would require her to take a bus everyday.
What was the decision of the state government in Topeka, Kansas? What did Oliver Brown do in response?
They rejected desegregation of school, he appealed to the Supreme Court.
What happened in the Brown v Board of Education case in the Supreme Court?
❖Thurgood Marshall, the key NAACP lawyer, argued that ‘separate but equal’ was damaging to black American students.
❖The judges, led by Chief Justice Warren, were convinced by his arguments and ruled unanimously that segregation was unconstitutional in education.
What was argued at the Brown v Board of Education case?
The NAACP’s argument was that even if equal educational provision and facilities were made available, the Plessy v Ferguson decision from 1896 of ‘separate but equal’ made black children feel inferior and this therefore broke the 14th Amendment.
What was the 14th Amendment in the US constitution that was important in Brown v Board of Education?
The 14th Amendment to the US constitution gave citizenship to African Americans, which meant they had equal rights and protection under the law.
What was the verdict in the Brown v Board of Education case?
The Supreme Court ruled that Plessy was unconstitutional and schools should desegregate.
What was the problem with the verdict of the Brown v Board of Education case?
Although the Supreme Court ruled desegregation should happen, it didn’t say when. This meant schools could avoid complying with the court’s decision.
What was the positive effect of the Brown v Board of Education case?
❖It raised awareness of the racial inequalities that existed and kick-started the legal battle for civil rights for all.
❖It was massive leap forward in civil rights as the Plessy v Ferguson ruling had been successfully challenged, which paved the way for future challenges in other areas.
❖The Supreme Court had finally supported the civil rights movement by ruling in its favour.
❖Schools did integrate, but very slowly.
What were the negative effects the Brown v Board of Education case?
❖Some people wanted to preserve segregation and an organisation called the White Citizens’ Council was set up in Mississippi. This grew into a network.
❖African American students regularly experienced threats and bullying after the case.
❖Many African American teachers either lost their jobs or experienced harassment from white students.
❖As a result of the backlash, black schools with good teachers and high levels of achievement closed.
❖Race relations in the south became incredibly tense, with increased violence by the KKK. It is in this context that the murder of Emmett Till occurred.
