The Long Road to Brown
The battle for civil rights in the United States has been going on for decades and continues today. Landmark supreme court cases have granted people many rights that were formerly denied to them. These cases address varied topics, including: the right of black students to attend the same schools as white students (Brown v Board); the right of the accused to have attorneys appointed to them if they cannot afford one (Gideon v Wainright); the right of the accused to be informed of their right to an attorney (Miranda v Arizona); the right of women to have abortions (Roe v Wade); the right to use contraceptives (Griswold v Connecticut); the right of same-sex couples to legally marry (Obergefell v Hodges) and others. One of the things that I believe sets the United States apart from many other societies is that we can fight these battles; we can have our voices heard and effect meaningful change. The focus of this essay is Brown v Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools and handed the Civil Rights movement its …show more content…
Brown destroyed the “legitimacy” of racial segregation, was a rallying cry for the Civil Rights movement, and upended the notions of what could be done to fight for racial justice. Brown represented, and still represents today, the idea presented in the Declaration of Independence that “all men were created equal.” In the most literal terms, Brown’s goal of desegregating public schools has been achieved. However, the broader, implicit promise of Brown was that African Americans would no longer be considered second-class citizens, they would no longer be unjustly discriminated against because of the color of their skin. Progress was being made so that one day a white person and a black person could be treated equally, having the same value in the eyes of the nation and the same opportunity to realize the American
The battle for civil rights in the United States has been going on for decades and continues today. Landmark supreme court cases have granted people many rights that were formerly denied to them. These cases address varied topics, including: the right of black students to attend the same schools as white students (Brown v Board); the right of the accused to have attorneys appointed to them if they cannot afford one (Gideon v Wainright); the right of the accused to be informed of their right to an attorney (Miranda v Arizona); the right of women to have abortions (Roe v Wade); the right to use contraceptives (Griswold v Connecticut); the right of same-sex couples to legally marry (Obergefell v Hodges) and others. One of the things that I believe sets the United States apart from many other societies is that we can fight these battles; we can have our voices heard and effect meaningful change. The focus of this essay is Brown v Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools and handed the Civil Rights movement its …show more content…
Brown destroyed the “legitimacy” of racial segregation, was a rallying cry for the Civil Rights movement, and upended the notions of what could be done to fight for racial justice. Brown represented, and still represents today, the idea presented in the Declaration of Independence that “all men were created equal.” In the most literal terms, Brown’s goal of desegregating public schools has been achieved. However, the broader, implicit promise of Brown was that African Americans would no longer be considered second-class citizens, they would no longer be unjustly discriminated against because of the color of their skin. Progress was being made so that one day a white person and a black person could be treated equally, having the same value in the eyes of the nation and the same opportunity to realize the American