Board Of Education Of Topeka 1954

Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

In 1951, Oliver Brown wanted to enroll his daughter, Linda Brown in an all white elementary school. Mr. Brown’s daughter was denied enrollment because she was African American. Outraged by the discrimination, Mr. Brown turned to civil action and he filed a class-action lawsuit against the board of education. A three-judge panel viewed the case and ruled in favor of the board of education. Mr. Brown then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oliver Brown argued that African American students had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth amendment . The board of education argued that To support segregation they argued that they had in good faith created “equal facilities,“ even though races were segregated. Furthermore, they argued,

Earl Warren expanded civil rights, civil liberties, judicial power, and federal power in dramatic ways. John Marshall Harlan believed that our Constitution was color blind and that segregation wasn’t necessary. The Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.

I agree with the Supreme Court decision because segregation is unconstitutional and unnecessary. Segregation is unjust and not needed in schools. Having black and white students in the same school together changes nothing. The black schools were not equal to the white schools and that's unfair, considering that white students are getting a better schoolhouse and supplies than black students just because they are black. Separating races in schools have shown to affect students and there is no reason to separate blacks and whites. No child should have to receive a lesser education because of their skin