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The importance of Thurgood Marshall during the civil rights movement
The importance of Thurgood Marshall during the civil rights movement
Thurgood Marshall and his fight for social justice
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Thurgood Marshall was an African American lawyer who broke many social and racial barriers. He didn’t let people limit or stop him from pursuing his dream of equality. Thurgood Marshall achieved many accomplishments that other people couldn't do at that time in history. He was an African American lawyer who won many racial cases, he became an associate justice of the Supreme Court, and he was a civil rights activist for his time and times to come.
One of many of Thurgood Marshall’s accomplishments was his very successful career as a lawyer. Most of his cases were about racial equality. One of his early victories was the Murray v. Pearson case (“Thurgood Marshall”). This case was about a young African American, Donald Murray, being rejected
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He then tried to go to the University of Maryland Law School, but he was rejected on the basis of race (“Thurgood Marshall”). Instead, he went to Howard University Law School. There he received his degree in 1933 and he ranked first in his class (“Thurgood Marshall”). After college Thurgood Marshall became a staff lawyer under Charles Houston in 1936 when he join the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (“Thurgood Marshall”). Within two years, he became the lead chair in the legal office of the NAACP (“Thurgood Marshall”). Then in 1940 he became the chief of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (“Thurgood Marshall”). “In the 1940s and 1950s he distinguished himself as one of the country’s top lawyers” (“Thurgood Marshall”). In 1961 John F. Kennedy nominated Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit(“Thurgood Marshall”). But, he wasn’t added to the court until several months later thanks to southern senators. Then in July 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson name Thurgood Marshall U.S. solicitor general (“Thurgood Marshall”). Then years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the Supreme Court, and he was added on August 30, 1967, making him the first African American on the Supreme Court (“Marshall Becomes First Black Supreme Court
The landmark Supreme Court cases of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas have had a tremendous effect on the struggle for equal rights in America. These marker cases have set the precedent for cases dealing with the issue of civil equality for the last 150 years.
Homer Plessy vs. the Honorable John H. Ferguson ignited the spark in our nation that ultimately led to the desegregation of our schools, which is shown in the equality of education that is given to all races across the country today. “The Plessy decision set the precedent that ‘separate’ facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were ‘equal’” (“The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow”). The case of Plessy vs. Ferguson not only illuminated the racial inequality within our education system, but also brought to light how the standard of ‘separate but equal’ affected every aspect of African American lives.
Many African Americans have contributed to the development of criminal justice field by their legal endeavors. One of these individuals is Thurgood Marshall, who played a role in desegregation in American public schools and became the first African American attorney to win a Supreme Court case. His major contributions in this field were mainly through his civil right activism while at NAACP. In particular, Marshall’s successful intervention in defending the three men involved in the Brown Supreme Court decision made him one of the greatest African American
Earl Warren is considered a leader in American politics and law in the 20th century. Warren was the governor of California and during his time was able to secure many major reform legislations that helped modernize hospital systems, prisons, and highways. His time as governor also led to the expansion of the old-age and unemployment benefits. In 1953, he became the 14th Chief of Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. As Chief of Justice, he was able to rewrite much of the corpus of constitutional law. His most famous case as Chief of Justice was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This case ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional since it did not give equal protection under the law to African Americans. Although the court was divided at first, his efforts were able to gain a unanimous decision. His court also sought out electoral reforms, equality in criminal justice and the defense of human rights. In 1963, Gideon v. Wainwright was a major case that sought equality in criminal justice. This case required counsel in court for defendants even if they could not afford
African Americans were among the worst treated races in the US; however, this did not stop them from fighting for the rights that so many had died for. It seemed as if black people would never be treated respectfully, but just like in comic books, there is always a hero that will fight for his people. This hero soon came to the scene and he was fierce enough to change the lives of many people. Most importantly, he broke the color barrier and created a path that would allow others to follow. However, something that was inevitable was the threats and racial remarks they had to face.
Justice Clarence Thomas was born in June 1948 and grew up in Georgia. He graduated at Yale Law School and served as the Assistant Attorney General in Missouri, practicing law in the private sector. In 1981 he was appointed Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education one year later, Justice Thomas was appointed Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by President Ronald Reagan. By 1991 Justice Thomas was nominated by Bush to fill Thurgood Marshall’s seat on the United States Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall overcame discrimination by his dreams of going into the law field despite the racism surrounding him at that time. “Thurgood Marshall, the great-grandson of a slave, grew up in the South and experienced racism and discrimination firsthand” (Hitzeroth and Leon 9). Since he was raised in the South, a more racist part of the country, he was already experiencing racism at a young age. He could not shop in the same store, sit in the same section of the bus, or attend the same schools as white children and white people in general (Hitzeroth and Leon 9-10). Also, he was a cum laude honors student, but he was denied admission to the University Of Maryland Law School because of the color of his skin (Hitzeroth and Leon 10). Despite all of these events, he still chose to pursue a career in law. Part of this could be because his father taught him to respect the U.S. Constitution and the authority of law (Thurgood Marshall Biography). Also, “author John Egerton wrote in his book Speak Now Against the Day, ‘In courtrooms, black lawyers were exceedingly...
Thurgood Marshall was known in the NAACP’s Legal Defense as “Mr. Civil Rights,” because he fought many battles over segregation in the courts. Thurgood Marshall was surrounded by a team of brilliant lawyers, one in particular, Oliver Hill, from Virginia. Mr. Hill won many civil rights suits dealing with discrimination in education and wages. The civil rights movement included different groups with many priorities, all working toward the larger goal of social equality. The most highly educational law suit is Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown sued the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education to simply allow his own 8 year old daughter Linda attend a nearby school for whites only. Imagine every day walking by a school that have your grade level, riding a bus for miles to attend a school where only students of color must attend. On May 17, 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, and this is when the Supreme Court issued its historic ruling. It was Thurgood Marshall that spoke to reporters in New York City in 1955, after the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of public schools. Marshall later became the first African American Supreme Court
The 1950s was a great success for the civil rights movement; there were a number of developments which greatly improved the lives of black people in America and really started the civil rights movement, as black people became more confident and willing to fight for their cause. The first big development of the ‘50s came almost immediately at the turn of the decade, when the Supreme Court essentially overturned the verdict reached in the Plessy vs. Ferguson trial of 1896. Thanks to the NAACP lawyers, the Supreme Court made three decisions regarding civil rights which not only showed that at times the government was on the black side, but also almost completely overturned the ‘separate but equal’ idea that had been followed for 54 years. The next big step in the civil rights movement came in 1954, with the BROWN vs. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF TOPEKA case, where Thurgood Marshall, representing Brown, argued that segregation was against the 4th Amendment of the American constitution.
Malcolm X was an African American minister and civil rights leader. Unlike many activists of his time, he took a different approach on the movement. In his lifetime, from 1925 to 1965, he was known as an advocate for the rights of blacks, and has been named one of the greatest and most influential men in history.
During the years the Supreme Court has gone through some changes of its’ own. While Chief Justice Earl Warren was there the first African-American Justice was named to the court: Thurgood Marshall. Chief Justice Warren’s leadership marked a force in social issues. Along the lines of desegregation, election reform and the rights of defendants.
Booker T. Washington was a great leader. He was all for helping the black community become stronger. His goal was very hard to achieve considering the period in which he lived. America, during Washington's time was under reconstruction. The Civil War was over and blacks were, by law, equal to any other human being. Slavery was abolished and many southerners had a problem with that. To many whites, black people didn't deserve and weren't intellectually "ready" for such freedoms. The South had such a hard time accepting it that Union troops were stationed in southern states who couldn't cooperate. Booker T. Washington is a prime example to southerners who think that blacks can amount to nothing. In my paper I will talk to you about the many accomplishments he has made and the hardships that were attached to his achievements. As always a lot of people tried to pull Booker down. Some were even of the same race as Mr. Washington. But along the way a lot people helped Booker. People who he helped, his family, his community, and others who felt he was just a really great guy.
Once he graduated from law school, Marshall attempted to establish his own practice but wasn’t able because he had no experience and failed to receive any cases. Thurgood then began working for the Baltimore Branch of the National Association the advancement of colored people in 1934. In one of his first cases Marshall defended Donald Murray. He was denied acceptance into University Of Maryland Law. Marshall and Charles Houston won Murray v. Pearson in January 1935. Marshall biggest case as lawyer was the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
...anged those around him and changed the way people lived their lives. Robinson was someone who worked for a cause not only for himself, but also for his fellow Negroes, and his country. His work for civil rights not only came when he had to provoke a change for his advancement, but even after he had advanced, he did not forget his fellow Negroes. His acts in the 1950's, 1960's and shortly in the 1970's has helped and influenced America to end segregation and racism in the world.
...le. He worked through the struggles and difficulties to make sure that his goals were accomplished. The actions he took allowed African Americans to gather hope and lead a change in our world.