Linda Brown Vs Board Of Education

Question 1

When?

Answer 1

1954

Question 2

Background

Answer 2

Linda brown
7 yr old in Topeka Kansas
White elementary school was close to her home, a couple blocks away
Had to walk a mile, including across railways, or get a bus, to get to the nearest black elementary school
School was inferior, class size large, not enough books for everyone
Because Topeka board of education invested more in the white schools than the black schools

Question 3

1. Father took legal action ( up until he lost)

Answer 3

Took Topeka board of education to court, so angry because his daughter’s inadequate education was going to result in poor life prospects, unlike those who went to the white only school
She also had to walk a long and dangerous route
He lost.

Question 4

2. NAACP

Answer 4

With help of NAACP, appealed against the decision
Case reached Supreme Court
Thurgood Marshall (argued for Linda brown against segregation in schools) lawyer for brown
Challenged Chief Justice earl warren over ‘separate but equal’ facilities
Chief Justice warren agreed, and came to conclusion that ‘separate educational facilities are inherently unequal’

Question 5

3. Following year

Answer 5

Supreme Court ordered the integration of all schools in segregated states, overruling the Jim Crow laws
Segregation in schools illegal, clearly helped black Americans in quest for equality in education

Question 6

Reaction and effects

Answer 6

67% of people in the south disapproved of integration in schools
Tried to ignore the ruling or got around it by changing state schools to private schools
White racists views integration as a threat -> same education = entitled to same jobs, and afford same lifestyle
People didn’t want the gap between them and the black community to disappear
May have seen accepting the ruling as giving up, so didn’t so easily part with their ‘patriotic’ beliefs
President Eisenhower didn’t want to stir up resentment and opposition in the south, so didn’t take swift enough action to enforce the ruling
He though that laws were unlikely to change people’s views’i don’t believe you can change the hearts of men by. Law and decisions’ thought that change should be gradual