The View Of The Supreme Court From 1954 To 1968

with this view of the period from 1954 to 1968?

Historians debate whether the Supreme Court had more influence on the African American civil rights struggle than any other branch of government; many have opposing views on whether the Supreme Court played the most important role in the African American civil rights struggle. Historian Stephen Tuck (2010) stated in his book it was that leading figures in the black civil rights movement that drove congress into enacting legislation and were the driving force in bringing change to America, not branches in government (Tuck, 2010). Revisionist Michael J. Klarman believed that “the S.C was not fundamental in the changing of civil rights as the Brown V Board of Education lacked clarity and any judicial

The Brown v. Board of Education decision passed in 1954 was a significant and historic case that made history for African Americans. According to Mark Rathbone the Brown V Board ruling “was the catalyst for the massive expansion of the civil rights movement which took place in the 1950s and 60s”. (Rothbone, 2004). Sanders indicates how Earl Warren believed that the “the Supreme Court unanimity would help persuade the nation to accept the principle and practice of integrated schools”. (Sanders V. , 2019, p. 102). This illustrates how the Supreme Court judicial and political overweight brought significant changes to American culture and raised awareness of the country's racial inequity. It is apparent that the court’s judicial upper hand allowed them to have a tremendous impact on the civil rights movement as it was the first ruling embedded in white political culture making it understandable to all. This can be further supported by Mark Tushent stating that “it would be difficult to undermine significantly the claim that Brown accelerated the acceptance of its fundamental principle in the white culture”. Tushnet, a constitutional law expert, shows how Brown v. Board's endorsement of a "general principle" was shocking to society as it shifted the political and social context by undermining Jim Crow laws.

According to 0'Riley, Eisenhower "saw the Brown v. Court case as an invitation that interfered with his party's courtship of the white Southern voter" (O'Reilly, n.d., p. 112) this is view is supported by Eisenhower publicly stating in 1952, "I do not believe we can cure all the evils in men's hearts by law," which he used to argue that the federal government shouldn't meddle in local practises, supports this claim (STEPHANIE, 2020). This implies that the President's fervent support for the rule of law meant he did not support civil rights for blacks and saw white rights as more important; thus, Eisenhower was not a leading figure in the black struggle for civil rights because he was resistant and lacked the pure intention to bring about change. . This opinion is bolstered by Eisenhower's cautious handling of Little Rock. President Eisenhower stated that he would never engage in sending federal troops to enforce Brown's rights because he believed that the federal administration should never be involved in forms of activism (Sanders V., 2019, p. 116). This indicates that his final decision was merely due to outside pressure and that it was never his intention to send troops to Little Rock. This can be supported by The Miller centre University of Virginia concluding that “He did not champion the need for equality and fairness in America, nor