Brown Vs Board Of Education Dbq Essay

Racial segregation was common and widely acceptable up through the mid-1900s. Everything from jobs to schools to drinking fountains were separated by race. The civil rights movement sought to change that. It was a nationwide social movement set on ending racism and bringing about equal treatment. The Brown vs. Board of Education was an important landmark in the civil rights movement because of its ripple effect. The Supreme Court’s decision to declare separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional proved that equality was possible. This decision was significant in the political arena of the movement because it showed that the government was beginning to accept the idea of racial equality. As new people entered political positions of power, they began to bring with them sympathies for the civil rights movement. An excellent example is Earl Warren, the chief justice appointed by Eisenhower who handed down the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. (Doc

Ironically, southern resistance actually helped the civil rights movement by publicizing the hardship African Americans faced as TV news crews eagerly covered and spread the story. As more people began to see these hardships, they, especially the younger generation, began to sympathize with the movement. The Port Huron statement, for example, exhibits the growing sentiment among young people that something is wrong.(Doc 20.2) In their statement, the students for a democratic society question how we can declare “all men are created equal” when we treat African Americans so badly. Soon after this statement was printed, another landmark of the movement took place: Martin Luther king jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. (Doc 20.4) This moving speech further swayed the sympathies of the public to the side of the