Brown vs Board of Education Thurgood Marshall Part II

Summary

The script narrates the influential career of Thurgood Marshall, a prominent attorney and key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Marshall, along with the NAACP, fought for racial equality in employment and education, leading to landmark cases that desegregated schools and public transportation. His strategic litigation dismantled the white primary system, expanded voting rights, and advanced social justice, culminating in his appointment as the United States Solicitor General.

Takeaways

• 🛍️ In 1934, Marshall and the NAACP led a boycott against stores on Baltimore's Pennsylvania Avenue for refusing to hire black workers.
• 🏛️ Marshall and his mentor Charles Houston defended the NAACP in court, leading to a ruling in their favor and recognition for their effective presentation.
• 📚 Marshall and Houston filed lawsuits for black students and teachers facing unfair treatment in the education system.
• 🗳️ Marshall fought against the white primary system, which effectively excluded African-Americans from voting, starting with a case in Texas.
• 🏆 In 1944, Marshall won a Supreme Court case making discrimination in primary elections illegal.
• 🚌 Marshall also won a case that ruled segregation illegal on interstate buses, contributing to the end of Jim Crow transportation laws.
• 🏅 In 1946, Marshall received the NAACP's highest award, the Spingarn Medal, for his work as a lawyer and social justice advocate.
• 📖 Marshall's argument in Briggs v. Elliott was that black schools were unequal to white schools and could never be equal unless they were integrated.
• 🏢 The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a crowning achievement in Marshall's fight against school segregation.
• 💔 Marshall's personal life was marked by sorrow when his first wife, Vivian, died of cancer shortly after a significant Supreme Court victory.
• 🏫 Marshall was involved in ongoing legal battles to enforce school integration in various Southern states, including Little Rock, Arkansas.

Q & A

What was the main objective of the boycott led by Marshall and the NAACP in 1934?

The main objective was to protest against the refusal of white-owned stores on Baltimore's Pennsylvania Avenue to hire black workers despite their reliance on black customers.

Who was Charles Houston and what was his role in the NAACP?

Charles Houston was Marshall's mentor at Howard University and served as the NAACP's special counsel. He and Marshall worked together on numerous lawsuits advocating for black students and teachers.

What significant legal victory did Marshall achieve in the area of voting rights?

Marshall achieved a significant legal victory by challenging the white primary system, which effectively excluded African-Americans from voting. His efforts led to the Supreme Court ruling that discrimination in primary elections was illegal.

What was the outcome of the case where Marshall argued that black schools were unequal to white schools?

Marshall initially lost the case, but it was later combined with four other NAACP segregation suits and heard by the Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which ultimately ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional.

What personal tragedy did Marshall face shortly after the Brown v. Board of Education decision?

Shortly after the decision, Marshall's wife, Vivian Marshall, told him she was dying of cancer, and she passed away in February 1955.

What was the significance of the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka?

The ruling declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, marking a major victory in the Civil Rights Movement and paving the way for desegregation efforts across the United States.

How did the resistance to integration manifest in Little Rock, Arkansas?

The most violent resistance to integration occurred in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the state's governor, Faubus, ordered racially mixed public schools closed to avoid admitting black students, leading to a standoff with the federal government.

What was the role of Rosa Parks in the Civil Rights Movement, as mentioned in the script?

Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger led to her arrest, which sparked a year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses and helped organize the Civil Rights Movement, with Martin Luther King Jr. emerging as a key leader.

What position did President John F. Kennedy nominate Marshall for in 1961?

President John F. Kennedy nominated Marshall for a judgeship on the court of appeals for the second circuit.

What was Marshall's record as a circuit court judge?

As a circuit court judge, Marshall had a remarkable record where none of his 98 majority opinions were reversed by the Supreme Court.

What was the significance of Marshall's role as the United States Solicitor General?

As the United States Solicitor General, Marshall held the third highest legal position in the land, representing the United States before the Supreme Court and arguing the most important cases, which included the pivotal case that helped rule school segregation unconstitutional.