Elizabeth Lopez

Introduction to special education 203

Landmark Court Case

Monday, September 28th, 2020

 It was on May 17, 1954 when Brown vs Board of Education made history in the United

States. It was a very important case which specified the importance of equal rights and helped

spark the civil rights movement. The supreme court ruled that “separate but equal” was most

definitely not equal at all, but rather nonconstitutional.

The case began at a public school in Topeka. African American kids had a school for their own

race and the white children had a school specifically for them as well. This was quite troubling

considering that many young African Americans had to go to such far distances just to get to

their assigned school. Due to how far one had to walk to get to school, parents were concerned

for their child's safety. Parents would often speculate about whether their child made it to school

or not. However, it wasn't until they refused to let the daughter of Oliver Brown enroll in the

school due to her being African American. It was then when he decided there needed to be

change. Before Brown vs Board of education there was Plessy vs Ferguson which was a case that

allowed segregation and equality also known as the doctrine of “separate but equal.”

Determined to make a change Oliver Brown, along with other families facing similar situations

soon filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S Federal court against the Topeka Board of Education.

They believed that their segregation laws were unconstitutional and wanted to fight for their

children's freedom. After 3 years of careful examination the court ruled in Oliver Brown's favor

stating that it was not fair for the white children and the African American children to be

separated. They determined the segregation of schools as a violation of the 14th amendment and

declared it unconstitutional.

This was a landmark case because it established equal rights for all students. This case

changed African American history and without it we wouldn't be where we are today. Brown vs

Board of Education was a case that helped people understand and acknowledge how wrong it
was for students to be segregated. It made people realize that separation was not at all useful for

their children's education, but rather unnecessary.

References:

“Brown v. Board of Education.” ​PBS​, Public Broadcasting Service,

www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-brown-v-board-education/.

Duignan, Brian. “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 May 2020,

www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka.