Brown v.

Board of Education
A rally at the Arkansas Capitol in

1959 protests the admission of

the "Little Rock Nine" to Central

High School. Even after the

Brown v. Board of Education

ruling, nine black students were

initially prevented from

entering the racially segregated

school by the governor of

Arkansas.

Editor's Note: Slavery ended in 1865, but segregation laws based on race soon Annotations
followed. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court allowed racial
segregation in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. The 14th Amendment of the
Constitution requires that people have equal protection under the laws.
However, in the Plessy case, the court said the 14th Amendment did not forbid
segregation. The court said segregation was allowed if the separate offerings
for different races were equal.

In Brown v. Board of Education, the court overruled the "separate but equal"
principle. The court said that the Constitution did not allow for separating
children of different races in public schools. This ruling ended legal racial
segregation in U.S. schools. On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote
the Supreme Court's decision, to which all the other justices agreed. Below are
key parts of the ruling.

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT

COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
Opinion

MR. CHIEF JUSTICE WARREN delivered the opinion of the Court.

1 In this case, the plaintiffs are Negro children who asked the courts for
Annotations
aid in obtaining admission to school. Each child had been denied admission to
public schools attended by white children. Admission was denied because of
racial segregation laws. The plaintiffs said that this segregation means they do
not have the equal protection of the laws. The 14th Amendment requires equal
protection.

2 The plaintiffs argue that segregated public schools are not equal and
cannot be made equal. They argue that this too goes against the 14th
Amendment.

3 We have heard about how Congress debated the 14th Amendment

before it was adopted in 1868. We heard about racial segregation practices that
existed then. We do not believe these sources can resolve the problem we now
face.

"Many Negroes Could Not Even Read"

4 The 14th Amendment's history does not tell us what is allowed with
respect to segregated schools. This is because of the state of public education at
that time. In the South, most education of white children was private.
Education of Negroes was rare and even against the law in some states. Many
Negros could not even read. Today many Negroes have achieved great success
in arts, sciences and business. So much has since changed that the history of the
14th Amendment cannot tell us its intended effect on public education.

5 In this case, the Negro and white schools are equal in many ways. Such
ways include the buildings, the subjects taught, and the quality and salaries of
their teachers. Our decision, therefore, cannot be based on a comparison of the
schools themselves. We must examine the effect of segregation on public
education.

6 Today, education is perhaps the most important responsibility of state

and local governments. Education is necessary to our democratic society. We
have laws requiring school attendance and governments spend greatly on
education. It is unlikely that any child may succeed in life if denied the
opportunity of an education. When a state provides such an opportunity, it is a
right which must be made equally available to all.
"A Child's Motivation To Learn" Annotations
7 We come then to the question presented. Does the segregation of
children in public schools based on race rob Negro children of equal educational
opportunities, even if the separate educations appear equal? We believe that it
does.

8 To separate children from others of similar age and ability just because
of their race harms the Negro children. It makes these children feel that they are
not as good as white children. This feeling may affect their hearts and minds in
a way unlikely ever to be undone.

9 Segregation also affects a child's motivation to learn and slows the

educational growth of Negro children. It deprives them of the benefits they
would receive in an integrated school.

10 We conclude that the idea of "separate but equal" has no place in public
education. Separate public schools cannot be equal. Therefore, we hold that the
plaintiffs have been denied the equal protection of the laws. The same is true for
all Negro children who have been denied admission to public schools because of
segregation. Because of this segregation, the 14th Amendment has been
neglected in this case.

It is so ordered.

Check for Understanding

1.) What is the MOST likely reason Justice Warren included the wording in Paragraph #6 regarding education
“necessary to our democratic society”?
a. He wanted to repeat his ideas in relation to government spending on education
b. He wanted to emphasize that educating all citizens is the duty of a fair and just nation
c. He wanted to explain the role that governments have had in creating educated democracies
d. He wanted to give credit to the local governments that had opposed segregation

2.) Fill in the blank: Justice Warren MAINLY explains the importance of integrated education by…
a. Citing facts about the number of students dropping out
b. Describing a scene from an integrated school
c. Explaining the negative effects on “Negro” students
d. Exploring what other countries think of segregation
3.) Read the sentence below from Paragraph #10:
Because of this segregation, the 14th Amendment has been neglected in this case…
Which option is the BEST definition of “neglected” as used in the sentence?
a. Ignored
b. Reviewed
c. Followed
d. Judged

FOLLOW UP PARAGRAPH: Answer the following question in a minimum (5) sentences

If everything was equal, as in schools all had the exact same amount of money and resources for
every student and ability to pay for quality teachers, do you think segregated schools would work?
Should we go back to that? Why or why not? Explain.