Brown v. Board of Education Research Paper A landmark Supreme Court case is a case that is examined because it sets precedence. Not only does it have a major societal impact, but also has historical or legal significance. Landmark court cases create a lasting effect in regard to a certain constitutional law. An example of a landmark Supreme Court case is, Brown v. Board of Education, 1954. Brown v. Board of Education is considered a landmark Supreme Court case due to the fact that it showed the need for racial equality in the United States, and completely changed the legal notion of “separate but equal”. This case was about racial based segregation with children in public schools, because the “separate but equal” rule was violating the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection clause. The “separate but equal” rule was the judicial precedent that was established in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The decision of Plessy v. Ferguson enabled states to interpret the equal protection provision in the Fourteenth Amendment as a means of establishing racial segregation. Landmark Supreme Court cases impact us because they cause a major societal impact.
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During the time of Brown v. Board of Education segregation was at an extreme in the south. Jim Crowe laws were in full effect during the time Brown v Board of education was in the Supreme Court. Jim Crowe Laws were written to separate blacks and whites in all public areas. These Laws meant that African Americans had unequal opportunities in education, housing, work, and many other areas. No white people would even come near a black person because it was the law. Brown v. Board of Education was a big pathway for overcoming Jim Crowe Laws and segregation in the South. A societal impact with Brown v. Board of Education is that it integrated schools and ended public facility segregation. It completely changed the American society and finally African American and White children were able to attend the same schools. By having schools that were racially segregated, the children were actually being caused psychological harm. In Kenneth B. Clarks “Doll Test” they realized that “segregation damaged the personality development of children” (Brown v. Board at Fifty, 2015). Segregation was believed to be impacting the children’s minds and, therefore having them segregated was harming their education and their ability along with their desire to learn was being inhibited. This case not only launched education reform in the South, but all over America. Furthermore, Brown v. Board of Education “concerned racial segregation in the public schools of Topeka, Kansas” (Shea, Green, and Smith, 2012). Brown v. Board of Education is actually five cases that were considered at one time. because they were all looking for the same outcome, desegregation. These cases are: “Briggs vs. Elliott (South Carolina), Davis vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County (Virgina), Gebhart vs. Belton (Delaware) and Bolling vs. Sharpe (Washington D.C.)” (“Brown v. Board of Education (1)”, 2015). During the Brown v. Board of Education case Plessy v. Ferguson was the law of the land regarding segregation. Plessy v. Ferguson said that you are able to have “separate but equal”. Brown v Board of Education sought to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 ruling on segregation. All of the plaintiffs in this case were parents of children who were not able to attend a white school due to segregation. The Chief Justice of the case was Earl Warren. The main plaintiff in this case was Oliver Brown. Oliver Brown’s daughter, “Linda Brown, an African-American girl in Topeka, Kansas, who was not permitted to attend an all-white public school near her home” ( Shea,Green, and Smith, 2012) The Chief Justice of the case was Earl Warren. In the Supreme Court, they examined whether or not racial segregation of students into “separate but equal” schools was constitutional. Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person
During the time of Brown v. Board of Education segregation was at an extreme in the south. Jim Crowe laws were in full effect during the time Brown v Board of education was in the Supreme Court. Jim Crowe Laws were written to separate blacks and whites in all public areas. These Laws meant that African Americans had unequal opportunities in education, housing, work, and many other areas. No white people would even come near a black person because it was the law. Brown v. Board of Education was a big pathway for overcoming Jim Crowe Laws and segregation in the South. A societal impact with Brown v. Board of Education is that it integrated schools and ended public facility segregation. It completely changed the American society and finally African American and White children were able to attend the same schools. By having schools that were racially segregated, the children were actually being caused psychological harm. In Kenneth B. Clarks “Doll Test” they realized that “segregation damaged the personality development of children” (Brown v. Board at Fifty, 2015). Segregation was believed to be impacting the children’s minds and, therefore having them segregated was harming their education and their ability along with their desire to learn was being inhibited. This case not only launched education reform in the South, but all over America. Furthermore, Brown v. Board of Education “concerned racial segregation in the public schools of Topeka, Kansas” (Shea, Green, and Smith, 2012). Brown v. Board of Education is actually five cases that were considered at one time. because they were all looking for the same outcome, desegregation. These cases are: “Briggs vs. Elliott (South Carolina), Davis vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County (Virgina), Gebhart vs. Belton (Delaware) and Bolling vs. Sharpe (Washington D.C.)” (“Brown v. Board of Education (1)”, 2015). During the Brown v. Board of Education case Plessy v. Ferguson was the law of the land regarding segregation. Plessy v. Ferguson said that you are able to have “separate but equal”. Brown v Board of Education sought to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 ruling on segregation. All of the plaintiffs in this case were parents of children who were not able to attend a white school due to segregation. The Chief Justice of the case was Earl Warren. The main plaintiff in this case was Oliver Brown. Oliver Brown’s daughter, “Linda Brown, an African-American girl in Topeka, Kansas, who was not permitted to attend an all-white public school near her home” ( Shea,Green, and Smith, 2012) The Chief Justice of the case was Earl Warren. In the Supreme Court, they examined whether or not racial segregation of students into “separate but equal” schools was constitutional. Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person