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How Three Supreme Court Cases Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” —Martin Luther King, Jr. Not that long ago African Americans and Whites were not on good terms, everything that went on publicly was segregated between them: schools, transportation, ect. Multiple disruptions occurred causing violence and arrests; some resulted to minor County Courts and some major Supreme Courts. These three Supreme Court cases influenced the Civil Rights movement by emphasizing problems of the unequal balance between races: Dred Scott vs Sanford, Plessy vs Ferguson, Brown vs Board of Education.

Dred Scott vs Sanford took a step back towards reducing the unbalance between races. This federal case confirmed that African Americans, enslaved or free, are not citizens of the United States. Thereafter, this was the prime leader to the Civil War. Making the judgment that African Americans are known as non-citizens means so much more, despite the fact they known as 'slaves' or 'immigrants' but they had a disadvantage to everything. In this case it enabled slaves to sue at a Federal Courts, when whites are able too. Only adding the the obvious unequal balance. After a long time, the Civil Rights Movement this was rendered in the 14th amendment. …show more content…

Plessy in Plessy vs Ferguson was a half white, half black man who sat in a white section in a public area. Although he is half and half he is considered a full African American and is treated like a slave. This was a big turning point for public segregation. After that, many more 'whites only' and 'for blacks' signs were put up assuring the advantage to whites. The big assurance was 'separate but equal' however many can argue that it was an inaccurate

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The Results of Dred Scott v Sanford had different effects on American history. This also contributed to the start of the civil war. Dred Scott v Sanford was a court decision on if Dred Scott could sue for his freedom. " According to Supreme Court History, Dred Scott could not sue for his freedom because he was not a citizen. " This was otherwise known as an illegal case.

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There have been many famous court trials throughout history. The Dred Scott v. Stanford Court Case of 1857, also known as the “Dred scott case”, was one of these historic court trials. This court case led to the United states supreme Court decision on the US labor law and constitutional law. It revolved around the matter of Negroes whose ancestors that were imported into the United States, and were put into slavery. The Supreme ruled that whether enslaved or free, Blacks could not be an American citizen, could not sue in federal court, and the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired.

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The race to freedom- Importance of civil rights "We must learn to live together as brothers or we perish together as fools" as spoken by Martin Luther King , Jr. These very words said in a speech on March 22, 1964 in St. Louis Missouri changed some people's ignorance and views of racial inequality (Rosenberg, Jennifer). The world was forever changed in 1964 when the Civil Rights Act ended segregation and allowed for all people to be equal. These court cases are just a few of the many cases that made it possible for everyone to have equal rights: Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board of education, and Loving v Virginia.

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In 1896, the historic ruling of the Plessy versus Ferguson case made by the Supreme Court significantly affected the generations to come. In the case, the Supreme Court made the ruling of “separate but equal.” This was when segregation came out in full force. Despite the amendments made before, the Supreme Court made the decision that African Americans were supposed to be separated from whites in daily life. This included schools, churches, entrances made specifically for one race, and even public transportation was segregated (Brock, “New South”).

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Many of the Justices had different opinions about the case whether they were pro slavery or not. The precedent that the Dred vs. Sanford case set for the country was that blacks were not citizens and had no right to sue. The Dred vs. Sanford case is a landmark case because of the fact that it showed how the government felt about the issue of slavery at the time. The government allowed the states to decide whether slavery was acceptable or not. After the case, there was a civil war between the north and south because of

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These actions extended until 1964 when a colored man by the name of Oliver Brown (Brown V.Board of Education) went to court because his daughter had to walk miles and miles to get to the closest colored school. “The Plessy v. Ferguson decision that legalized the practices of “separate but equal”. In the Plessy decision, the

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Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” Martin Luther King Jr. Our world was and still is black and white. There has been many court cases which escalated all the way to the US Supreme Court. Many of these cases have challenged the actions of discrimination.

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Sanford case the court ruled against Scott because, under the constitution, he was his master's property and they couldn't deprive slaveowners of their property. This case maintained that states could allow rights to anyone, but blacks would never truly be citizens, and they weren't allowed the courts to prove otherwise. The court ended the case saying that, "... Congress had no authority to ban slavery from a Federal territory. This decision moved the nation a step closer to Civil War"(Dred Scott v. Sanford).

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Plessy v. Ferguson Plessy v. Ferguson is a well known case in the fight against discrimination. Plessy v. Ferguson was a case involving segregation and racial discrimination. During segregation there were many ways blacks and whites were separated and one was on public transportation like trains and buses. Homer Plessy refused to move from his seat on a train after explaining to the conductor that he was only partially black, and after being arrested his lawyers tried to prove that his rights as an American citizen had been violated. The trial of Plessy v. Ferguson took place during segregation, the trial and court decisions had some effects on segregation and racial equality.

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Julia Bernstein March 5, 2016 Early American History Mr. Modica The 14th Amendment and Discrimination Since the inception of the United States of America, there has been a desire for equality among people, however, the steps to achieve this have been very controversial. In the early 1800’s the fight against discrimination dealt mostly with racial tensions but has evolved to concern many other groups. Not all of these groups have been prevalent since the formation of the Union, but as the country has continued to progress, different perceptions of equality have taken center stage. While the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, assured citizenship for those born in the United States, it also suggested the

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"We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). Before the Civil Rights Movement was commenced, segregation was challenged in many different instances, including the many court cases. Some of the cases were considered fair and not unlawful, however others had a conclusion of segregation that went against the fourteenth amendment, which was only the start of realization for the Civil Rights Movement. These three civil court cases influenced the Civil Rights Movement by giving more reason and proof of why desegregation needed to be enacted: Shelley v. Kraemer, Brown v. Board of Education, Loving v. Virginia.

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The world we live in today would not be how it is if we didn't go through these three court cases. These court cases were about slavery and black rights, things we take for granted in today's society. Three different Supreme Court Cases influenced the Civil Rights Movement by declaring that under the Constitution, Dred Scott was his master's property, Segregation is universally recognized as within the competency of states in the exercise of their police powers, and Judicial enforcement of a racially restrictive property covenant is a violation of the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This first case is about Dred Scott, he had lived as a slave with his wife for a few years and then went into a free state as a slave. They sued their owner for their freedom, the odds weren't against them, many had won their freedom like this before.

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In the battle to decide the constitutionality of segregation, the Supreme Court famously ruled “separate but equal” was indeed legal (Hayes 1/31/18). This ruling allowed for further discrimination and racism to grow as a result: “It cemented the imposition of…segregation of public facilities, and political disfranchisement that was enforced with terror and violence” (Rosenzweig 145). This segregation spread all over the south and was only made illegal until half a century later. However this was not the worst thing that befell on African Americans during this horrible

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Since the 1950’s, the Civil Rights Movement has been one of the most influential and pivotal movements in American history. They helped a lot of marginalized communities have more rights and freedom and not be discriminated against. If it wasn’t for the movement, society wouldn’t have been the same as it is today. However, the struggle for civil rights did not end there, it continued to evolve and shape society in the later decades. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Civil Rights Movement was still confronting ongoing prejudice and hate in America.

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An In Depth Essay On racial equality in America since the Civil Rights Movement Racial equality is a huge ordeal in the United States and a lot of people still struggle with it. Rotham (2013) explains, “Inequality and racism do exist in America – in varying degrees, they probably always will.” After the Civil War, racial equality did improve however, not by much. Even though blacks were given all the rights of the white people, segregation was a still a big issue and things such as public facilities, transportation, and all in all having completely separate societies were ways in which segregation took place.

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