Brown v. Board of Education When the case of Brown v. Board of Education was first tried, it set the United States of America on fire. It has been questioned, in the past sixty years or so since the trial took place, whether that decision has improved the social and academic opportunities of African Americans. Those who said that it did improve the lives of African Americans, people such as Richard Kluger, made the argument that African Americans are now better educated, better housed, and better employed than they were before the year 1954 because of the Civil Rights Movement. Those who disagreed, like Peter Irons, said the decision was never seriously tried and there is a major gap of achievement between whites and blacks. While Peter Irons makes excellent points to give his opinion of how the Brown v. Board case has not improved the lives of African Americans, it is Richard Kluger who proves that lives for African Americans has been improved since that time. Kluger first points out that the decision of the Brown v. Board of Education decision has released the stigma left behind by slavery. African Americans were no …show more content…
Board decision, it was declared that segregation was outlawed. African Americans and whites were able to use the same transportation systems, eat in the same restaurants in the same areas, stay in the same hotels, etc. This desegregation gave African Americans a greater sense of equality in their everyday lives. Furthermore, it became unlawful for the race of a candidate to be listed on any election ballot, and black witnesses could no longer be addressed by their first names in Southern courtrooms – they were addressed in a more formal fashion. Also, blacks and whites were able to marry, legally, something that could have potentially put both “guilty” parties in jail for up to five years. This desegregation happened at a very rapid pace and essentially started a whole new life in many cases for African