The Case Of Brown V. Board Of Education Of Topeka

In 1954, The United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision with its ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The ruling was a monumental one for multiple reasons. Firstly, it was a major step in the Civil Rights Movement as it ended the legal use of â€Å"separate but equal† facilities, under the ruling that this violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. It gave African-Americans access to better schools, and also gave them a greater sense of dignity as they no longer could be legally forced to drink from different fountains or sit in separate sections. Another aspect of the decision that makes it so significant is the fact that it did the rare task of overturning a previous Supreme Court decision,†¦show more content†¦He believed that in order to understand law, one must first realize what law’s purpose is. He, like Thomas, argued that law’s purpose it to benefit society by creating a morally sound or der to human action and conduct. He detailed seven goods that he believed to be intrinsic and universal, and argued that laws should be enforced under the stipulation that they adhere to the enhancement of these goods, because they are what determines a fulfilling life. They are: life, knowledge, play, aesthetic experience, sociability, practical reasonableness, and religion. The goods that relate to the thesis of this paper the most are knowledge and sociability, as the result of the case has a direct benefit on them and is, therefore, moral and legitimate. Legal positivists, however, disagree that morality has any place in determining what legitimate law is. H. L. A. Hart based much of his theory on the previous legal positivist John Austin’s work. Austin believed that laws obtain their legitimacy from the recognition of a society’s members in the authority of their unruled ruler. This unruled entity that enforces laws with the backing of sanctions, is what Austin te rms the ‘sovereign.’ He believed that in order for a sovereign to exist it had to be habitually complied with by those it governs. What separates Austin’s theory from natural law theories is that he did not believe that laws had to be created or followed on the basis of morality. According to Austin’sShow MoreRelatedThe Case Of Oliver Brown V. The Board Of Education Of Topeka1991 Words   |  8 PagesThe question that this historical investigation and sources will be seeking to answer is: To what extent did the case of Oliver Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas further the progress of the civil rights movement in search of African-American equality? The first source being evaluated is â€Å"The Brown Decision: Its Long Anticipation and Lasting Influence.† This academic journal article originates from the Journal of Southern History, and is written by Linda Reed, an associate professorRead MoreBrown vs Board of Education600 Words   |  3 PagesThe Brown vs Board of Education as a major turning point in African American. Brown vs Board of Education was arguably the most important cases that impacted the African Americans and the white society because it brought a whole new perspective on whether â€Å"separate but equal† was really equal. The Brown vs Board of Education was made up of five different cases regarding school segregation. â€Å"While the facts of each case are different, the main issue in each was the constitutionality of state-sponsoredRead MoreOutline Of A Speech On History And Education846 Words   |  4 PagesSegregation in Education General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most notorious eras in politics and education. Thesis: â€Å"Brown V. The Board of Education of Topeka† and its reversal of the decision of â€Å"Plessy V. Ferguson† and the â€Å"Separate but Equal clause† is one of the most monumental, and impactful decision ever made. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: B. Thurgood Marshall was responsible for rearguing the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case andRead MoreBrown V. Board Of Education830 Words   |  4 PagesBrown v. Board of Education The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case is a well-known case that went to the Incomparable Court for racial reasons with the leading body of training. The case was really the name given to five separate cases that were heard by the U.S. Preeminent Court concerning the issue of isolation in state funded schools. These cases were Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Briggs v. Elliot, Davis v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (VA.), Boiling v. Sharpe,Read MoreBrown V. The Board Of Education1136 Words   |  5 PagesBrown v. The Board of Education Topeka, Kansas, 1950, a young African-American girl named Linda Brown had to walk a mile to get to her school, crossing a railroad switchyard. She lived seven blocks from an all white school. Linda’s father, Oliver, tried to enroll her into the all white school. The school denied her because of the color of her skin. Segregation was widespread throughout our nation. Blacks believed that the â€Å"separate but equal† saying was false. They felt that whites had more educationalRead MoreBrown V. Board Of Education Of Topeka1634 Words   |  7 PagesBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation, insofar as it applied to public education. Handed down on May 17, 1954, the Warren Cou rt s unanimous (9–0) decision stated that separate educational facilitiesRead MoreBrown vs. Board of Education: Case Study1745 Words   |  7 PagesBefore Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was taken to the Supreme Court, the ruling in earlier Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson stood. Plessy v. Ferguson established the separate but equal doctrine, which pervaded nearly every aspect of American life. One of the realms that Plessy v Ferguson expressly applied to was the area of public schools. Public schools in America could be racially segregated, based on the assumption that African-American schools were equal to their white counterpartsRead MoreThe Court Case that Changed the World: Brown v. Board of Education1078 Words   |  5 PagesBrown v. Board of Education is a story of triumph over a society where separating races simply based on appearances was the law. It is a story of two little girls who has to walk through a railroad switchyard in Topeka, Kansas in 1950 just to attend school. With lunch bags and backpacks in hand, they make their way to the black bus stop which is a distance of the tracks. They have to walk this distance, pass the buses filled with white children because they are unable to attend the nearby whiteRead MoreBrown V. Board Of Education 347 Us 4831438 Words   |  6 PagesBrown v. Board of Education 347 US 483 (1954) Jim Crow Laws As society changes, laws change as well to keep up with changes in some cases, the law are for the better of the majority, however, there have been several laws that have been enacted to impose inequality. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Education of Topeka that Racial education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schoolsRead MorePlessy vs Ferguson678 Words   |  3 PagesPlessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson the Supreme Court decided that having †separate but equal† accommodations for Whites and Colored did not violate the 14th Amendment (Wolff, 1997). This allowed states to continue segregation as they saw fit. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was centered on the segregation of railroad cars but the final ruling supported that all â€Å"separate but equal† accommodations were allowed by the constitution and was