Results of Desegregation

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruling of the Brown versus the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas “was a monumental judicial turning point for [the] nation [as it called for]… the legal framework for racial segregation”1 to be dismantled. This controversial framework was disassembled because it “violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws.”2 Following this ruling, the southern states slowly began to desegregate public schools. Racial tensions between blacks and whites were extremely high preceding this ruling by the Supreme Court; it dated a ways back to the late 19th century.3 The idea of “Negrophobia,” or a fear of black individuals, essentially “swept across the South and much of the nation at the end of [this] century”4 during this time. Many people believed that it was due to the fact “that many whites resented signs of black success and social influence.”5 As years passed, the tensions between these two groups heightened and the inferiority complex displayed by many white citizens continued for a long period of time. Because of this inferiority complex portrayed by the white Americans, segregation slowly began to occur. Public facilities, public washrooms, schools, public transit, and health care facilities were just some of the things that slowly began to become segregated over time.6 Soon, this ideal began to become the “norm,” and racism became normal and accepted among Americans. The racial integration of blacks and whites caused quite the controversy among both groups; they each had different viewpoints due to the fact that racism was accepted and normal for many years. A careful review of private accounts reveals that the African-Ameri...

... middle of paper ...

...outhern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Published by Documenting the American South

Oral History Interview with Gloria Register Jeter, December 23, 2000. Interview K-0549. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Published by Documenting the American South

Oral History Interview with Joanne Peerman, February 24, 2001. Interview K-0557. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Published by Documenting the American South