What Is The Impact Of The Tinker Vs. Des Moines Independent School

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There have been tons of Supreme Court cases that have changed the lives of high schoolers and students everywhere- one of the most famous being the Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District case in 1969. There were three students, John Tinker, Mary Beth Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt, who decided to wear black armbands to show that they did not support the Vietnam War. The administrators of their school told them that the armbands needed to be removed because they were inappropriate, but they refused, and a huge court case started and they also got suspended from school. According to the students, their right to wear the armbands was protected under the First Amendment, which said that they were allowed freedom of speech and expression. After going through lots of courts, the Supreme Court took the case and agreed that the students were protected. The Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District ruling strengthened the idea that high schoolers are protected by the first amendment and are allowed to express themselves freely. The protest took place at a public school in Des Moines in 1965. In the late 1960’s, TV broadcasters were carrying graphic and violent images of the Vietnam war. The Tinker family did not like the …show more content…

Des Moines Independent School District was huge. In addition to clarifying what schools could and couldn’t do, it helped (and continues to help) in cases that involve those issues today. It was different from other cases because one of the main parties involved was a group of kids, which is not common for cases that make it to the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the students that were involved in the case went to the court themselves and represented themselves, which was even more rare at the time. It gave students and people under eighteen years of age the ability to stand up for their rights and what they believe in. It also proved to young people that with enough dedication and perseverance, anything can