Tinker V. Des Moines Independent Community Schools Summary

The case of “Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District 393 U.S 503” took place in 1969, was argued November 12, 1968, and with the decided date being February 24, 1969. The petitioners were Christopher and Mary Beth Eckhardt, and John Tinker. In 1965, the children's ages were as follows: Mary Beth was 13 years old, John was 15, and Christopher, the oldest, was 16. John and Christopher were high school students, and Mary was a junior high student. The case was argued because of the children’s demand for access to the right of the first amendment: free speech. They wore armbands to protest the Vietnam war, and this case helped prove that even though your rights are limited in schools, you can still stand up for what you think …show more content…
The war was fought between North and South Vietnam, with the North wanting to unify Vietnam a communist country, and South Vietnam wanted to stop this from happening. In the end, North Vietnam won in 1975. The United States removed their troops from South Vietnam in 1973, two years before the end of the war. The First Amendment is a right that American Citizens have. This amendment consists of freedom of speech, meaning people can say whatever they want, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and many more. This case mainly concerns student’s rights to free speech in schools. In December 1965, preceding the case, during the Vietnam War, local children and parents met up in the Eckhardt household, and agreed on wearing black armbands as a silent protest to the war, and support for a truce. They planned to fast on December 16, and wear the armbands up to New Years Eve. When the local school officials found out about this, they decided to implement a policy against wearing armbands. Students caught wearing them would get a warning and could even receive a suspension. It was meant to hold back the protesters in the Tinker case from performing their