Black struggle for equality

Black struggle for equality

It took almost 400 years for African Americans to achieve their freedom. Freedom

which was appointed to them by the US constitution. Ever since blacks arrived in

America they were looked upon as the "inferior race." Whites would go to almost any

extent to express their hatred towards the blacks. The K.K.K. was as powerful as ever.

Emotions ran high, especially in the South. Which was where the infamous case of Plessy

v. Ferguson(1896) originated. In this case the court supported the constitutionality of a Louisiana law requiring separate but equal facilities for whites and blacks in railroad cars.

Racial discrimination in America was heavily strengthened by this decision. For more than 50 years, most states used the "separate but equal" rule to segregate the races in most all public facilities. This was soon too change. The system of "Separate but Equal" began to crumble in the mid 1900's. The peak of this collapse occurred in 1954, during the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, in which the Supreme Court ruled against the segregation in public schools.

Leading up to this case, there were four key events which led to the abomination of this un-constitutional law; those being a monumental reference to the 14th amendment in the Brown vs. Board case, the organizing of minority groups who set out to fight the battle of inequality, numerous cases regarding the "separate but equal laws," and Chief Justice's theory on the issue of segregation in the public school system.

The first of these arguments which Brown pointed out was a reference to the

Fourteenth Amendment, which was added to the US constitution after the Civil War. In

the first section of the fourteenth amendment is clearly stated that "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive and person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"(Source 1, Fourteenth Amendment). Despite how succinct this law is, for some reason it wasn't followed in the South. When several white southerners jump a single Negro, the Negro takes the fall. These types of events happened all too often.

Events which clearly went against everything written in the Fourteenth Amendment.

"...;nor deny to any person within its jurisdic...

... middle of paper ...

...on bred

inferiority and hindered development of African American children. He came to the

conclusion that segregation in public schools does not mean equal education even if the

tangible and other physical factors are equal. As a matter of law, "Where the state has

undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be available to all on equal terms. His

model of development led him to state, "Separate but Equal," has no place.

Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

In conclusion, the black's fight for freedom took many different directions. But,

after a long and grueling struggle, school's were finally desegregated. As an example the Supreme Court overturned the rulings in the case of Plessy v. Fergyson, arguing that full development of education could not be obtained, nor equal in a desegregated environment.

After years and years of arguments, both for and against segregation, the courts finally

stepped in and passed laws to force schools to desegregate. Finally by 1969, there was a court order for schools to desegregate "at once." The blacks finally attained their goal, it was a long and hard fight, but in the end it all paid off.