Dbq Essay On Brown V Board 1954

Brown v. Board (1954) was a landmark decision which overturned the previous “separate but equal” verdict. Accordingly it arguably helped civil rights immensely as it set a legal precedent for desegregation across America. It did not remedy rampant racist attitudes nor did it stop the states from completely disregarding the legislation entirely. Continuously by states, this legal precedent remained ignored and challenged. Most famously being the Little Rock Nine (1957) which black students had restricted access to a white high school. Only a Presidential executive order from Eisenhower could fix it. [4]. This source is valuable as it shows the power struggle between the Federal and State authorities, while the source calls the state's actions

Source [5] and source [6] are of a Gallup Polls gauging the views of the American public. Gallup Polls are valuable as they’re independent, nonpartisan and use large sample sizes. So therefore can give an accurate insight into American opinion. Source [5] asks Americans, whether they would vote for a black President (1958). 58% disapproved, while 38% disagreed. While Source [7] shows similar opinions when it asks how many Americans think interracial marriage is acceptable (1959).4% said that they would approve. These numbers show how little society has evolved, and shows how little acceptance for black integration there was. Furthermore it demonstrates how even with the "separate but equal verdict" overturned ingrained racist views still remained in Americans' minds that the Supreme Court couldn’t eliminate. Arguably, this contrast between the views of the court and the views of the general population could have mobilised pro-Civil Rights activists leading to events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and that the legal ruling meant that they had the law on their side. But the argument disregards how having everyone turned against you and persecuting you can be demoralising, as well as giving you the motivation to fight for your

T Patterson’s essay The Troubled Legacy of Brown v. Board believes the view that Brown v. Board was a hindrance to Civil Rights. [7, T. Patterson, James, (2001), The Troubled Legacy of Brown v. Board, 6-7] Firstly, he discusses the general decrease in “demonstrations” after the ruling when he would have expected more. What he describes may be due to complacency or an instilled fear because of their persecution because many states accelerated their persecution after the verdict. He continues saying only “1.2 percent” of integrated schools existed even a decade after the ruling, showing an abject Federal failure to enforce the ruling. Michael. J Klarman somewhat challenges and expands upon this view in Brown, Racial Change, and the Civil Rights Movement [8, J. Klarman Michael, (1994), Brown, Racial Change, and the Civil Rights Movement, 77] he says that the ruling “crystallised white resistance”, he proposes that this resistance caused sympathy from the population making them more open to reform. Examples include Dr King’s Selma march (1965) and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1957). This argument is somewhat convincing as a crystallisation of white resistance seen in the actions of the Arkansas School board which they wanted desegregation postponed for two and half years. Cooper v Aaron (1958) overturned this. However the implication that this caused widespread demonstration and condemnation from the white population is convincing in narrow terms. If you define the Civil