In 1915, every state had some sort of “Jim Crow “law. Blacks could not eat in the same restaurants, drink from the same water fountain, watch movies in the same theatre, play in the same parks, or attend the same schools as whites. Black men could not shake hands with a white man or even make eye contact with a white woman.
When America joined World War II in 1942, they needed as many soldiers as possible to battle the Germans and Japanese. They could not do that without enlisting blacks into the military as well as whites. The racial segregation laws and the prejudice between blacks and whites hindered having black men join the army, but eventually, half a million blacks enlisted into the military and were sent to fight under white officers …show more content…
The justices were: Felix Frankfurter, Hugo Black, Fred Vinson, Stanley Reed, William O. Douglas, Tom Clark, Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, and Sherman Minton. Hugo Black was one of the four Justices to vote for equality. Before he was a justice, he was a Senator of Alabama. When he was a defense attorney in Birmingham, he defended a Klu Klux Klan member who murdered a catholic priest. On September 23, 1923 he became officially apart of the ‘KKK’ (Bachorz). He later stated that he had been a part of the ‘KKK’ but ended any relations with them very shortly after he joined (Bachorz). Eventually, in Brown v. Board, he surprisingly told the other Justices that the purpose of the 14th amendment was to protect blacks from segregation. Felix Frankfurter was a very liberal man. He was born in Vienna Austria on November 15, 1882 to a Jewish family (Simkin). When Frankfurter was twelve, he and his family immigrated to the United States (Simkin). Before becoming a justice, he studied law at Harvard Law School. While he was attending Harvard, he was also a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or the NAACP (Whitman 110). He also helped create the American Civil Liberties Union or the ACLU (Simkin). Frankfurter was one of the first justices to have an African American as a law clerk. However, Frankfurter was not an assured vote against …show more content…
However, he died nine months after the first arguments in the case. Earl Warren was chosen to replace him. Warren was a firm believer that segregation was wrong. As a young adult, Warren worked for the railroad to save money for college (Fox). Many of his political views were shaped during this time as he spent his childhood around the other railroad workers. Many years later, he became a District Attorney and was known for his good attributes, like his desire to end corruption in general. In 1942, he became the Governor of California (Smentkowski). Brown v. Board was his first case as a lead Justice. Before, when Vinson was still alive, only four Justices were clearly against segregation. When Warren came in, his passion for change helped lead the justices into the unanimous decision. He spoke to the court saying, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
When America joined World War II in 1942, they needed as many soldiers as possible to battle the Germans and Japanese. They could not do that without enlisting blacks into the military as well as whites. The racial segregation laws and the prejudice between blacks and whites hindered having black men join the army, but eventually, half a million blacks enlisted into the military and were sent to fight under white officers …show more content…
The justices were: Felix Frankfurter, Hugo Black, Fred Vinson, Stanley Reed, William O. Douglas, Tom Clark, Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, and Sherman Minton. Hugo Black was one of the four Justices to vote for equality. Before he was a justice, he was a Senator of Alabama. When he was a defense attorney in Birmingham, he defended a Klu Klux Klan member who murdered a catholic priest. On September 23, 1923 he became officially apart of the ‘KKK’ (Bachorz). He later stated that he had been a part of the ‘KKK’ but ended any relations with them very shortly after he joined (Bachorz). Eventually, in Brown v. Board, he surprisingly told the other Justices that the purpose of the 14th amendment was to protect blacks from segregation. Felix Frankfurter was a very liberal man. He was born in Vienna Austria on November 15, 1882 to a Jewish family (Simkin). When Frankfurter was twelve, he and his family immigrated to the United States (Simkin). Before becoming a justice, he studied law at Harvard Law School. While he was attending Harvard, he was also a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or the NAACP (Whitman 110). He also helped create the American Civil Liberties Union or the ACLU (Simkin). Frankfurter was one of the first justices to have an African American as a law clerk. However, Frankfurter was not an assured vote against …show more content…
However, he died nine months after the first arguments in the case. Earl Warren was chosen to replace him. Warren was a firm believer that segregation was wrong. As a young adult, Warren worked for the railroad to save money for college (Fox). Many of his political views were shaped during this time as he spent his childhood around the other railroad workers. Many years later, he became a District Attorney and was known for his good attributes, like his desire to end corruption in general. In 1942, he became the Governor of California (Smentkowski). Brown v. Board was his first case as a lead Justice. Before, when Vinson was still alive, only four Justices were clearly against segregation. When Warren came in, his passion for change helped lead the justices into the unanimous decision. He spoke to the court saying, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”