Brown+v.+Bd.+of+Education,+1954

Joe Zarou 4/3/09 H US Per. 1 Mr. Nolan

__Brown v. Bd. of Education, 1954__


 * Explain the times and/or issues that gave cause to your document.**

The century before this landmark case around 1896, America was full of racial segregation. The reason for that was when the verdict of Plessy v. Ferguson said that separate was still equal. Back then, the Supreme Court claimed that segregation was not a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The people who initiated the lawsuit in 1954 were arguing that these separate conditions were nothing close to equal. The African Americans had inferior conditions as well as experienced unfair treatment.


 * What is the history of your document? Describe its origins (people places etc).**

Racial Segregation in public schools prior to this case was completely normal. In Topeka, Kansas, a black third-grader named Linda Brown had to walk one mile including through a railroad to get to her black elementary school, even though a white elementary school was only seven blocks away. Linda's father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white elementary school, but the principal of the school refused. Brown went to McKinley Burnett, the head of Topeka's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and asked for assistance. The NAACP was ready to assist the Browns, because it had long wanted to challenge segregation in public schools. Other black parents joined Brown, and, in 1951, the NAACP requested an injunction that would forbid the segregation of Topeka's public schools.


 * Was there any controversy attached to this document from any direction?**

There was a great deal of controversy over the decision made in Brown v. Bd. of Education because not everyone accepted it. Senator Byrd of Virginia organized the Massive Resistance movement that included the closing of schools rather than desegregating them. In addition, Governor Faubus of Arkansas ordered his state’s National Guard to stand at the door of Little Rock High School and prevent black students from entering. Florida’s legislature denounced the Supreme Court case decision and declared it null and void. Lastly, Governor Wallace of Alabama personally blocked the door at the University of Alabama to thwart the enrollment of two African American students.


 * What is the significance of this document in American history?**

Brown v. Bd. of Education has had a tremendous importance in the history of the United States. In a span of fifty years, America has gone from separating students in educational facilities based on race to making many schools huge melting pots. If it was not for this Supreme Court case decision, blacks and whites might have been forced to attend two different schools until today. Now African Americans are able to enjoy the luxuries of a school with exceptional accommodations thanks to Oliver Brown and his supporters. It is fortunate that Americans now life in a place where students regardless of race receive an equal opportunity for education as a result of the defeat of Topeka’s Board of Education.


 * Where would you place this document on a scale of 100 - 1? Explain your position. (1 = most important)**

On a scale from 100 – 1, my document would definitely be up in the top quarter. Personally, I’d probably give it a 13 because it is without a doubt more important than many others but there a quite a few that essentially take priority. Obviously documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights rate higher than this but others such as the De Lome Letter and the Keating-Owen Labor Act are much farther behind. Without the decision of Brown v. BOE, Plessy v. Ferguson would never have been overturned and unequal segregation would still be enforced in present day America. This case marked a major turning point in the inevitable and undeniable equality of all American citizens which makes it so important and justified to rate as a 13.


 * ID the document 10 spots before yours. Compare and contrast your documents. Which was more important/significant in YOUR opinion.**

The document 10 spots before mine is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Coincidently, there are many similarities between these two documents as well as differences. They both outlawed racial segregation in schools. However, the Civil Rights Act was a little more important than the decision of Brown v. BOE. The CRA prohibited racial segregation in public places and employment areas. Contrary to most beliefs, the CRA was initially proposed to protect women and was the first document to incorporate the liberties of white people in addition to those of blacks. Brown v. BOE invalidated Plessy v. Ferguson while CRA did the same for the Jim Crow laws in the southern United States.