Brown v. Board of Education: The Origins of a Landmark Civil Rights Case

The origins of brown v. Board of education

Brown v. Board of education stand as one of the virtually pivotal supreme court cases in American history. This landmark decision strike down the doctrine of” separate but equal” in public education, essentially alter the course of civil rights in the United States. But who really instigate this momentous lawsuit?

The case was not initiated by a single individual but kinda by a coordinated effort lead by the national association for the advancement of colored people( NAACP) and brave aAfricanaAmericanparents who want better educational opportunities for their children.

Oliver brown: the named plaintiff

Oliver brown, a welder and assistant pastor in Topeka, Kansas, become the name plaintiff in the case. Nonetheless, it’s important to understand that he was one of 13 parents who were plaintiffs in the Topeka case, which was finally consolidated with four other cases from different states.

Brown’s involvement begin when his daughter Linda, a third-grader, have to walk six blocks to a bus stop and so ride a bus to her segregated black school, despite live simply seven blocks from a white elementary school. The injustice of this situation compel Oliver brown to join the NAACP’s effort to challenge school segregation.

It’s worth note that brown’s name appear 1st in the case title chiefly due to alphabetical ordering of the plaintiffs, not because he was the primary instigator or leader of the lawsuit.

The NAACP’s strategic litigation campaign

The true architects behind brown v. Board of education were the leaders and lawyers of the NAACP, who had been strategically challenging segregation through a series of lawsuits since the 1930s. This effort was lead by Charles Hamilton Houston, who develop the NAACP’s legal strategy, and his protÃ©gÃ© Thurgood Marshall, who would former become the first African American supreme court justice.

The NAACP legal defense and educational fund, under Marshall’s direction, intentionally seek out plaintiffs from various states to challenge school segregation. Their strategy was to build a case that would demonstrate the inherent inequality of segregated education and finally overturn the” separate but equal ” octrine establish in plPlessy. Ferguson ( (96 ).)

The five cases that become brown

What many people don’t realize is that brown v. Board of education really consolidate five separate cases from different states:

Brown v. Board of education (kKansas)
Briggs v. Elliott (sSouth Carolina)
Davis v. County school board of prince Edward county (vVirginia)
Gerhard v. Belton (dDelaware)
Belle v. Sharpe (wWashington d.c. )

Each case represent different aspects of educational segregation, but all challenge the constitutionality of separate children in public schools base on race.

The Topeka case: beyond Oliver brown

In Topeka, Kansas, the local NAACP chapter, lead by attorney McKinley Burnett, had been pressure the school board to integrate schools for years before the lawsuit was file. Burnett, along with NAACP chapter secretary Lucinda Todd, recruit families willing to participate in a legal challenge.

Todd herself become one of the plaintiffs on behalf of her daughter nancy. Other Topeka plaintiffs include Darlene brown, Lena carper, Sadie Emmanuel, marguerite Emerson, Shirley Fleming, Zelma Henderson, Shirley Hodgson, Maude Lawton, Alma lewis, Iona Richardson, and Vivian scales â€” all mothers seek better educational opportunities for their children.

The South Carolina case: Briggs v. Elliott

In Clarendon county, South Carolina, the lawsuit begins when a farmer nameLeviiPearsonn file a petition request bus transportation for black children who have to walk up to nine miles to school while white students ride buses. After his case wasdismisseds on a technicality, local ministJosepheElaineine and harrBriggsgs, a gas station attendant, organize a new petition.

Twenty parents sign on as plaintiffs, with harry and Eliza Briggs become the name plaintiffs. Their involvement come at a steep cost â€” both lose their jobs, and the Briggs family finally have to leave South Carolina due to economic pressure and threats.

The Virginia case: student leadership

The prince Edward county case stand out because it was initiated by students themselves.Sixteen-year-olddBarbaraa rose johns lead a student strike atmotionn high school to protest overcrowded conditions and poor facilities. The students reach out to thNAACPcp, which agree to take the case if they’d pursue an integration lawsuit quite than equitable seek equal facilities.

Dorothy Davis become the name plaintiff, represent 117 students who were part of the case challenge segregate schools in Virginia.

The Delaware and d.c. cases

In Delaware, Sarah Beulah initially seek bus transportation for her daughterShirleyy, who have to walk to her black school while buses for white schools pass by their home. EthelBeltonn and other parents join in file a lawsuit. InWashingtonn, d.c.,Gardnerr bishop and the consolidated parent group file a lawsuit on behalf of11-year-olddsoftwoodd bbowlingand other black students who were ddeniedadmission to a new build white junior high school.

The role of local communities

While the NAACP provide the legal framework and strategy, it was the courage of local communities that make these lawsuits possible. Parents risk their livelihoods, face harassment, and sometimes have to leave their communities because of their involvement in these cases.

These individuals weren’t exactly names on legal documents â€” they were people take extraordinary risks to secure better futures for their children. Their willingness to stand up against entrenched segregation provide the NAACP with the cases they need to challenge the entire system of educational apartheid.

Thurgood Marshall: chief strategist

Thurgood Marshall, as the NAACP’s chief legal counsel, was the primary architect of the legal strategy that culminate in brown v. Board of education. Marshall assembles a brilliant legal team that includeRobertt carter, jackGreenbergg,Constancee baker motley,jamss fabric, and others.

Marshall’s approach was revolutionary. Instead, than but argue that segregated facilities were unequal in terms of physical resources( which had been the approach in earlier cases), the nNAACPteam present social science evidence demonstrate the psychological harm cause by segregation itself.

The team cite research by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, whose” doll tests ” how that segregation instill feelings of inferiority in black children. This evidence prprovesrucial in persuade the supreme court that separate educational facilities were ” nherently unequal. ”

The decision and its impact

On May 17, 1954, the supreme court issue its unanimous decision, declare that” in the field of public education, the doctrine of’ separate but equal’ have no place. ” cChiefjustice earl warren write that segregated schools were ” nherently unequal “” d violate the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment.

The decision represent a monumental shift in American jurisprudence and lay the groundwork for dismantle legal segregation in all areas of American life. Notwithstanding, the court’s follow-up ruling in 1955 (know as brown ii )order desegregation to proceed with “” l deliberate speed ” ” provide no specific timeline, allow resistance and delay in many parts of the country.

The collective nature of the lawsuit

The question of who instigate brown v. Board of education have no single answer. The case represent the culmination of decades of strategic litigation by the NAACP, the courage of local activists and parents, and the determination of black communities across the country to secure educational equality.

Oliver brown’s name may be the one history remember about conspicuously, but the true instigators were a coalition of forces: the NAACP’s legal team lead by Thurgood Marshall, local NAACP chapters that organize communities, and about significantly, the parents and students who were willing to put themselves on the front lines of the fight for educational equality.

The legacy of the plaintiffs

Many of the plaintiffs in the brown cases face significant hardships as a result of their involvement. Some lost jobs, others face threats and intimidation, and some have to relocate completely. Despite these challenges, their courage change the course of American history.

Linda brown Thompson, Oliver brown’s daughter, former reflect:” iIfeel that after 30 years, look rearward on brown v. The board of education, it’s make an impact in all facets of life for minorities throughout the land. I very think of it in terms of what it’s do for our young people, principally in the field of education. ”

The plaintiffs in the brown cases were ordinary people who take extraordinary action. They weren’t wealthy or powerful, but their willingness to stand up for their children’s rights transform American education and society.

Conclusion: a collective achievement

Brown v. Board of education was not instigated by any single individual but quite represent the culmination of a coordinated effort by theNAACPp and countless brave parents who were willing to challenge the system of segregation. Oliver brown may be the name virtually associate with the case, but the lawsuit was rightfully set in motion by a community of activists, lawyers, parents, and students commit to achieve educational equality.

The case demonstrate how strategic legal action, combine with grassroots courage and determination, can essentially change a nation. The true instigators of brown v. Board of education were all those who refuse to accept the injustice of segregation and were willing to fight for a more equitable future â€” a collective achievement that continue to shape American society today.