Was the Brown vs. Board of Education successful at ending segregation in the US?
Ritesh Hattarki
Block 1
Teacher name: Mr. Junker
Date due: 12/19/2022 at 3:10 PM
Hattarki 1
I.
Introduction and Thesis
On May 14, 1954, Chief Justice Warren delivered the message, “We conclude that the
doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently
unequal” (Landmark Cases). Before the Brown vs. Board of Education landmark Supreme
Court case, blacks and whites were always kept separate, and blacks were given less freedom
than whites. Blacks and whites were prevented from doing basic tasks simultaneously or in the
same area. Because of these issues, it sparked the landmark supreme court case “Brown vs.
Board of Education.” It changed the nation and was successful in many drastic ways. The
Brown vs. Board of Education was successful because it provided equality for all Blacks,
influenced the results of certain court cases, and improved Black student achievement
nationwide.
II.
Background
“Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, (347 U.S. 483) was a landmark U.S. Supreme
Court decision in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in
public schools are unconstitutional” (“Decision”). “The Brown vs. Board of Education was one
of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement, and helped establish the precedent of
‘separate-but-equal.’ “Fifty years ago to the day--May 17, 1954--the U.S. Supreme Court
handed down a historic decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.” “Now,
more than 5,000 people had gathered outside the two-story building that once housed Monroe
Elementary School, one of the four formerly segregated elementary schools for Black children in
Hattarki 2
Topeka, to celebrate what is perhaps the most significant piece of American jurisprudence of the
20th century” (Chapell). “It all started when “a plaintiff named Oliver Brown filed a
class-action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in 1951, after his daughter,
Linda Brown, was denied entrance to Topeka’s all-white elementary schools” (“Decision”).
“Brown ended up claiming that schools for Black children were not equal to the white schools,
and that segregation violated the so-called “equal protection clause” of the 14th Amendment.”
Brown managed to make it through the Supreme Court and the decision got passed down. The
decision would have drastic impacts on the Black people as well as have influence on other past
important events.
III.
Arguments
The Brown vs. Board of Education was successful because it provided equality for all
Blacks. To exemplify, “Brown v. Board of Education is considered a milestone in American
civil rights history. The case—and the efforts to undermine the decision—brought greater
awareness to racial inequalities and the struggles African Americans faced” (“ Supreme
Court…”). “The success of Brown galvanized civil rights activists and increased efforts to end
institutionalized racism throughout American society” (“Decision”). Before the Brown vs Board
of Education, the effect of segregation on Blacks was problematic and was becoming a very
large issue. However, this court case was able to shed light on this issue and emphasize the need
for change within American society. To elucidate, it was able to change the way Americans
viewed Blacks and thus established the norm that Whites were as equal as Blacks. Eventually,
this court case also encouraged the rise of many organizations. One of these organizations was
Hattarki 3
the NAACP or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “It was an
interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and
discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism;
and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights.” “The NAACP was created in 1909
by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White
Ovington, and others concerned with the challenges facing African Americans” (“Decision”).
Organizations such as this one added onto the Brown vs. Board of Education court case and
emphasized the message that Blacks should be treated just as equally as Whites. Thus, it was
able to provide equality for all Blacks. However, the court case was also able to change many
other things as well.
The Brown vs. Board of Education was successful because it was able to influence the
results of certain court cases. To exemplify, “The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown overruled
Plessy v. Ferguson by holding that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional for
American educational facilities and public schools. This decision led to more integration in other
areas and was seen as a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement. Many future litigation
cases used the similar argumentation methods used by Marshall in this case” (“Legal”). The
court case was successful because it was able to eliminate the many wrongdoings and mistakes
that were created in the past and ensure that they would not be repeated again. If these mistakes
were not to be corrected, nothing else but continued segregation and inequality would be the fate
on US soil. It also influenced the result of another famous court case: Cooper vs. Aaron. “In just
four years after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed its ruling again in the
case of Cooper v. Aaron, holding that government officials had no power to ignore the ruling or
Hattarki 4
to frustrate and delay desegregation” (“Legal”). In the same context, if the original decision for
this court case would have been followed through, it would have had a devastating impact on
American society. Because Brown vs Board of Education shed light on the wrongdoings and
mistakes of the past, it shows that the removal of segregation and unjust treatment is imperative
in the success of the nation as a whole. However, this court case also affected Black students and
their personal success as well.
The Brown vs. Board of Education was successful because it improved Black student
achievement nationwide. To exemplify, “Black student achievement, nationwide, and in every
state, has improved at a spectacular rate since Brown. Although we don’t have a reliable measure
of achievement going back very far in time, we have good data for the last few decades, from the
federal sampled test of math and reading, the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP). It shows, for example, that black fourth-graders now have average math scores that are
better than average white math scores only a generation ago” (Valerie). The Brown vs. Board of
Education court case is directly proportional with the success rate they have had in school.
Because they are provided fair and just treatment, they are also encouraged to do well in school,
thus leading to better scores and increased performance in school. This shows that the court case
has definitely created a visible and noticeable change. The court case was successfully able to
close the Black-White student achievement gap. Furthermore, “Brown v. Board entitled students
to receive a quality education regardless of their racial status. It also allowed for African
American teachers to teach in any public school they chose, a privilege that was not granted
before the Supreme Court ruling in 1954” (Derrick). Because Blacks were more connected
within society and treated equally, they were also able to receive a higher quality education that
Hattarki 5
was similar to that of Whites. In other words, they are given the same opportunities available to
everybody else. Thus, this encourages them to pursue their academic goals for their future, such
as college and career related topics. All of this would not have been nothing but a myth if it
would not have been for the Landmark Supreme Court Decision.
IV.
Counter argument and Rebuttal
However, many people believe that the Brown vs. Board of Education decision has not
been successful in completely removing segregation within Black societies. To exemplify, “On
average, those districts that stopped forcing schools to mix students by race have seen a gradual
but steady--and significant--return of racial isolation, especially at the elementary level”
(Garland). However, only a few schools across the United States have returned to racial
isolationism. The majority of the schools have fully adopted policies of non-segregation and
racial equality. The Brown vs. Board of Education case has led to other landmark movements
such as the Civil Rights Act. For example, “Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, backed by
enforcement by the Justice Department, began the process of desegregation in earnest. This
landmark piece of civil rights legislation was followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the
Fair Housing Act of 1968” (“Brown vs…”). These important movements/acts further pushed
for greater desegregation policies. In other words, it has been pushing away from greater racial
isolation and towards more justice for Black people. The amount of schools that are affected by
segregation is insignificant, since the majority of the schools are already fully adopting
desegregation policies. This effort towards a more inclusive environment will truly create a
much brighter future for America as a whole.
V.
Conclusion
Hattarki 6
The Brown vs. Board of Education ensured Black equality, impacted many major legal
proceedings, and raised Black students’ academic performance in school. The landmark case
was able to significantly influence many parts of Blacks’ lives and influenced how they lived.
The case was able to send out a message to restore unity within all people, regardless of their
race, class, or gender. It was able to converge American society together since it brought a
greater awareness and understanding to the problems of racial inequality. Many of the results of
other court cases were influenced to ensure that such a mistake would not occur again. It also
motivated Black students to keep achieving and pursuing their academic goals for their future.
All of this collectively brought the United States to create a more fair and just society that
included everybody and excluded nobody.
Hattarki 7
Works Cited
“Brown v. Board of Education: Summary, Ruling & Impact - History.” Brown v. Board of
Education, 2023,
www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka.
Date accessed: 13 February, 2023
“Brown v. Board of Education (1954).” Legal Information Institute, Legal
Information Institute,
www.law.cornell.edu/wex/brown_v_board_of_education_(1954).
Date accessed: 7 October, 2022
Chappell, Kevin. "Nation celebrates 50th anniversary of historic Brown v. Board of Education
decision." Jet, vol. 105, no. 23, 7 June 2004, pp. 6+. Gale In Context: High School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A118675223/GPS?u=mnkwayzatahs&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=
e507ea0b.
Date accessed: 3 December, 2022
“Decision.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,
www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka/Decision.
Date accessed: 6 October, 2022
Garland, Sarah. “Was ‘Brown v. Board’ A Failure?’The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 5
Dec. 2012,
www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/was-brown-v-board-a-failure/265939/.
Date accessed: 13 February, 2023
Landmark Supreme Court Cases (555) 123-4567, landmarkcases.dcwdbeta.com. “Brown v.
Board of Education.” Landmark Supreme Court Cases,
Hattarki 8
www.landmarkcases.org/cases/brown-v-board-of-education.
Date accessed: 3 December, 2022
Meador, Derrick. “Weighing the Impact of Brown v. Board of Education Decision.”
ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 9 July, 2019,
www.thoughtco.com/brown-v-board-of-education-summary-3194665
ars-brown-v-board-of-education-succeeded-and-didnt/.
Date accessed: 7 January, 2023
Strauss, Valerie. “How, after 60 Years, Brown v. Board of Education Succeeded - and
Didn't.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 Nov. 2021,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/24/how-after-60-ye
ars-brown-v-board-of-education-succeeded-and-didnt/.
Date accessed: 9 October, 2022
“Supreme Court Strikes…” UPI's 20th Century Top Stories,
17 May 1954. SIRS Issues Researcher,
explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2266005067?accountid=35939.
Date accessed: 6 October, 2022