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Herbert Brownell's Influence On Political Courage

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Herbert Brownell's Influence On Political Courage
Political courage is something that has been around. Kennedy (1955) said that "The founding fathers could not have envisioned service in the Senate as providing an opportunity for political courage." (p. 23.). This statement from hi defines that the creating of our government has given an opportunity for people brave enough to express political courage. Herbert Brownell was a Nebraskan born that went on to be the attorney general for the United States of America for four years, and he is an example of political courage. Before he was the U.S. attorney general he was a lawyer. He got his degree for from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and from Yale University. He moved out of Nebraska and practice in New York. He worked for many law …show more content…
When he was attorney general, it was when there was protest for another civil rights law. During his time Supreme Court landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education in Topeka, KS came up. According to Walker (n.d) "Herbert played a pivotal role in convincing Eisenhower that the administration should file a brief opposing segregation in schools." (todayinclh) Brownell believed that segregation was unconstitutional. Since, he was the attorney general he was able to state his opinion. He was responsible for writing up the position of the Eisenhower administration. He was also the one that wrote the Civil Rights Act of 1957. This all was political courage. A lot of people disliked him, because of what he believe in and wanted him out. Taking the position he did on the landmark case made him lose a chance to be a Supreme Court Justice. Eisenhower knew that congress would not accept his appointment, especially the southern representatives and senators. Osro Cobb (1989), the United States Attorney General for the Eastern District of Arkansas, stated " Brownell had stuck by his guns for the hard line of integration dispute." (p. 251). Overall showing his stand on segregation ruined a career for him in the Supreme Court, but that is why he showed political courage during his four years as attorney

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