Preview

How Important Was the Supreme Court in the Development of African-American Civil Rights in the Years 1950 to 1962?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
336 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Important Was the Supreme Court in the Development of African-American Civil Rights in the Years 1950 to 1962?
How important was the Supreme Court in the development of African-American civil rights in the years 1950 to 1962?

The Supreme Court made a number of decisions regarding education in this time period, for example, in source C, The Supreme Court made a decision in 1950 in regards to McLaurin vs Oklahoma State Regents, when a negro student was denied permission for certain areas in a school, confined to their own tables and sections in the library and cafeteria. This shows that the Supreme Court could effectively interpret the constitution and federal laws. This decision is much like Sweatt vs Painter, Texas, where a similar situation had occurred, except a Negro student was not permitted admittance, let alone segregation inside the building. Also, in Cooper vs Aaron, the Supreme Court stated that states were bound by the court’s decisions, and could not ignore them. Arkansas then amended the state constitution to oppose desegregation, and then relieved children from “Mandatory attendance in segregated schools. This shows that the Supreme Court was still applying law and constitution in the aid of the advancement of African Americans. In Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka, 1954, it came that Chief Just Warren said, “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal…. Segregation in public education is a denial of the equal protection of the laws.” This gives African Americans a platform to advance from, reaffirming “separate but equal” in their favour. The Supreme Court had overturned separate but equal, showing that they are perhaps, despite their best means to remain impartial, beginning to show signs of a will for desegregation and quality between races. However, President Eisenhower was not pro-civil right, so progress across the board in regards to advancement of African-Americans was always slower than expected. The Supreme Court were ineffective

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How far do you agree that the years 1945-55 saw only limited progress in improving the status of African Americans?…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How significant was Lyndon B Johnson in improving civil rights for African-Americans during his presidency (1963-69)?…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Firstly the 4 presidents in this time period were Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. They each have different attitudes towards civil rights. Truman was born in the border state of Missouri and as a result experienced segregation first hand. As a young man Truman was racist, he used abusive language referring to African Americans as niggers. In addition at the age of 38 he paid $10 to join the KU KLUX KLAN, but Truman outgrew his prejudices and became the first American President to publicly challenge segregation and the first to pledge his support for civil rights. In 1946 Truman established the Presidents Committee on Civil Rights. He commissioned them to produce a report examining the experience of racial minorities in America. The report ‘to secure these rights’…

    • 1919 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This source is the opinion of Chief Justice Earl Warren and has substantial value in revealing why the US Supreme Court attempted to rapidly desegregate public schools. The turning point in black Americans civil rights was hugely characterized by the unanimous 9-0 decision to overturn the ‘separate but equal’ principle, deeming it unconstitutional. The concordant decision had a great impact and was one of the main reasons the US Supreme Court acted expeditiously to desegregate public schooling. Chief Justice Earl Warren was able to persuade other judges, many of whom supported segregation – such as Justice Stanley Reed, that a unanimous decision was crucial in order to pursue any change – especially for Southern states. Chief Justice Earl…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How far were the forces opposed to civil rights responsible for the failures of the civil rights movement in the 1960s?…

    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On the contrary, in 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States of America reversed its ruling of the doctrine "separate but equal" after hearing the case of Brown vs. Board of Education. The Supreme Court's new decision was that segregation in public education was not equal and therefore conflicted with the fourteenth amendment of the constitution. Here there is an example of a change being made to a supreme court decision. Once again, the only way to change a Supreme Court decision is with another Supreme Court decision. This fact may have been the key reason why it took almost sixty years to change the national law of segregation in public…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Little Rock Nine Thesis

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Before these heroic figures in history added to the progression of the Civil Rights Movement, education was predominantly considered to be for caucasians only, and in areas where this was not the case, African Americans were still considered unworthy to attend the same public schools they went to. In 1954, only three years before some of the first Negro students had enrolled in a school built for only those of pale skin, the U.S. Supreme Court had declared segregation in public schools to be rather unconstitutional and unfit (“Integration of Central High School”). They talked of how it did not seem to follow closely behind just exactly what the United States was built upon-- unity, justice, and utter, absolute equality. Surprisingly, the entire state of Arkansas was not known to be rather chauvinistic. The progression in this particular Souther state was thought to have been moving smoothly, so most people did not expect the introduction of Negroes to a school originally built for whites to cause such an uproar (“The Little Rock…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1865, through present African American have dealt with an enormous amount of segregation. The 13 amendment was created to abolish slavery, but many states still found ways to keep African Americans away from evolving. When it came to education many African American were forbidden to go to school. Many whites did not want blacks to become educated because they still wanted blacks to view whites as superior. As years went by African American were finally allowed to attend school. However, Many blacks were often bullied out of white schools forcing them to attend black schools that weren’t as financially supported as the white schools were. It was a difficult journey for Blacks to be able to pursue their education. I find it fascinating to…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil Rights 1950-1980

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Civil Rights of 1950-1980 was an important and chaotic time for African American rights because they were treated poorly. During this time period many African Americans and some were trying to have equality. There were many main events such as the desegregation of little rock which was when the Little Rock nine which was an African American group was initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas. Then President Eisenhower ordered the 101 first air marshall to come and make sure that this doesn’t happen and so it didn’t. Another event that had happened was the civil rights act which was the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality. Also an event that occurred…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, movements to obtain civil rights for black Americans have had historical significance. More justices were retrieved back then than it is today. Why is that? During the Civil Rights Era, African Americans obtain more justice than African Americans today, because of the greater number of citizen's involvement, boldness, and non-violent protests.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    the board of education was a Supreme Court decision first argued December 9th 1952, the re argued December 8th 1953, and then decided on May 17th 1954. This decision held that "separate but equal" no longer held a place in American society. In his majority opinion chief justice Warren stated that "in the field of public education the doctrine of separate but equal has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". In the courts opinion education was no were near as important in 1896, when the decision in Plessy vs Ferguson was made as it was in society during the 50 's. In the society of the 1950 's schooling was required to hold a job, learn some type of moral and cultural values, and for a human being to function on a very basic…

    • 2831 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    English Summery Paper

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The article “Don’t Mourn Brown V. Board of Education” by Juan Williams discusses that it is now time for something greater in effect than what the Brown V. Board of Education can offer us today. Brown V. Board had a huge part in civil rights movement and got Americans to think about inequality in society and in education. Assimilating students does not insure that students that are black or Hispanics will not drop out high school nor does it guarantee the narrowing of performance levels. In fact schools have become more segregated while the nation has become more diverse. Schools continued to fail even with Brown V. Board of Education was enforced. The parents began to become dissatisfied with their children being pulled out of neighborhood schools and instead being bussed to different schools further away. The Supreme Court realized that using school children to address segregation in school was not going to fix segregation in society. Busing students began to be replaced with magnet school and charter schools and eventually the Supreme Court began to believe that the fourteenth amendment was better served by treating children as individuals rather than as tools to enforce segregation.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Problems associated with diversity spark the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s for the attainment of equal rights for African-Americans. The Civil Rights Movement was the struggle to obtain equal rights for African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, challenging racial segregation and disenfranchisement through peaceful means. The movement marked a time in America when the African American struggle for equality was brought to national and international attention. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education initiated change across America, and nowhere was this more evident than in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the school board, in support of Brown, voted in 1957 to integrate the school system (Dierenfield,…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Congress were very important in the advancement of African-Americans however they were not the most important factor, the Supreme Court and the presidents were also important during the period of 1865- 1941.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Board of Education, in 1954 the Supreme Court constituted segregation. 1954 the Supreme Court“outlawed segregated public education facilities for blacks and whites at the state level to be segregated.” During the time of segregation in our country many years back, the segregation was not fair. When segregation was allowed,it was prohibited everything to be unequal.1954-1964,it has been harsh on African Americans due to the law not being followed by the states.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays