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How Did Plessy Change American History

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Despite all of the racism and segregation our country is experiencing today; America has come a long way since the cases Plessy vs Ferguson and Brown vs Board of Education took place. These cases regulated the way America views segregation, we wouldn’t be where we are today without them. They’ve changed segregation laws, changed courts view points of amendments, and changed American history forever.

This revolution began with Plessy vs Ferguson. According to Cornell law school, the start of this case began in 1890. Louisiana passed a statue that was called the “Seperate Car Act”. Essentially, this means two races do not have the availability to sit in the same carriage of the vehicle. If this act was …show more content…

This case took place in Kansas during the 1950s after Plessy’s case was settled. Although the separate but equal act was enforced, schools were still segregated in America. Linda brown and her sister were elementary school students. To get to their bus in the morning, they had to walk through a highly dangerous railroad. Linda was forced to go to a dangerous all-black school that was far from her house rather than a nice white school that was close. Throughout Lindas education, she brought her parents to believe that the segregated schools are a violation to the 14th amendment. The family took their case to court and initially the court believed that segregated schools was harmful for black children, however they were justifying it by saying that since the separate schools had similar buildings, transportation etc. Segregation would continue to be legal in America. Linda and her family were still not satisfied with this result so they took their case to the Supreme Court. According to the Landmark cases, the Supreme Court states, “In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown. The Court found the practice of segregation unconstitutional and refused to apply its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson to “the field of public education.” Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion for the Court.” Linda and her family won their case and changed …show more content…

Since Linda and her family had a dream for the future of American history and education, our country is changed and will continue to learn about her case. Due to Linda Browns bravery, there precedent of this case was that state-sanctioned schools that are segregated is completely against the 14th amendment and is unconstitutional. In 1954 the Supreme Court had a unanimous vote in favor of brown and ever since then, American history is

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1) Brown v. Board of Education: In 1951, Topeka, Kansas, Linda had to walk 20 blocks to Munro school even though there was another elementary school just seven blocks away from her house. Linda's parents and several others tried enrolling their kids in the much closer Sumner elementary. They weren’t allowed to go there because Sumner was a school for whites and Monroe was a school for black kids. Linda was a child during the reign of Jim Crow laws and separate-but-equal. Unfortunately, these two schools were separate, but definitely not equal.

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The Board of Education wanted segregated elementary schools. Other schools were non segregated. The appellants felt that the Board violated the rights given by the Constitution. They sued the board saying that the system didn’t give Linda Brown the equal protection of the rights given by the fourteenth amendment. The decision was unanimous in favor of Brown.

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The Consolidation of Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education and The Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and the Implications on Brown v. Board of Education The Civil Rights Era is an important piece of the United States history. The movement was fueled by a push for equality amongst all, but particularly for those people of color. The landmark trial of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas led the way for a change in the understanding of what all men are created equal meant. The court decision in 1954 Brown trial was unanimous that segregation in public schools is inherently unequal.

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Narrator: This court case decision allowed segregation in schools to slowly diminish. Currently, in almost all of the U.S. there is no notable or noteworthy extreme segregation as there was back in the 50’s and 60’s. It can be said that the decision of this case, has paved a positive path for future generations. Background of Martin Luther King Jr.: [open with close up image of MLK speaking at a

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On May 17th 1954, the court voted 9-0 in support of Brown. This overturn the infamous Plessy vs Ferguson decision by saying that segregation of school based on skin color went against the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. The court also argued that segregated school made African American children feel inferior and damaged their development. Warren gave the opinion of the court by saying that “we conclude that in the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

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The Plessy vs. Ferguson case and the Black vs. Board of Education are cases that were brought to the Supreme Court in order to stop the 'separation but equal' law. Colored people had the same rights as the whites but were never actually treated equally. These cases make people think about what African Americans had to deal with in the 1800s and 1900s and it shows how far America has come. The cases made the world a better place by raising awareness for colored people, the cases showed that the idea of 'separate but equal' conflicted with the 13th/14th Amendment and created precedents for later cases. Here are some reasons that the idea of "separate but equal" didn't represent what the Constitution stands for.

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The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for a new level of opportunity for others that followed by making segregation in schools illegal, providing better conditions in the classroom, and providing African American students with more opportunities for the future. In the summer of 1950, 13 African Americans parents tried to enroll their children in an all-white school for the upcoming year. They were of course denied, being that at the time schools were segregated. One particular child really stood out in this case, his name was Linda Brown. Brown had to travel a large distance to attend Monroe Elementary--one of the four black elementaries in the town.

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