Assignment No. 9: Education and the Constitution

Assignment No. 9: Education and the Constitution

Name and Citation

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

Key Facts

This case consists of a number of different cases and is a consolidated case. These cases were initiated in Kansas, Delaware and South Carolina. A number of black children were denied admission to their own community public schools. The White children were allowed to attend these schools. The State segregation laws were in place in many cities including Topeka, Kansas. Brown, a black local was also a victim of this discrimination. He was a father and after her daughter was denied admission he realized the importance of education, which is why; he voiced the concern of discrimination between the blacks and the whites in education. The plaintiff, Brown brought the issue to the court to seek justice and to get admission in the community schools that is not based on discrimination.

The Issue

If or not the Fourteenth Amendment grants the doctrine of 'separate but equal' and whether the environment of education of the plaintiff were the same as the white people who are like them. This issue was very important because it dealt with the education of the children and the future of the children depended on it.

Holding and Vote

According to the court, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' is unconstitutional and is not appropriate for the society. It should be made sure that the people are not suffering irrespective of the race and ethnicity that they belong to. The society should be given complete freedom and everyone should be treated equally. The vote was in favor of the plaintiff by the Chief Justice Warren by nine votes as compared to none in the favor of the Board of Education.

Reasoning

This was a very significant case in the history of the country as it relates to the education of the children. Discrimination exists between the different races and ethnicity and is one of the reasons why the blacks are not provided with appropriate education. It was found out by the court that the doctrine of 'separate but equal' is inappropriate and the educational system needs to be changed. It explained that this doctrine is inherently unequal. The fourteenth amendment proved to be helpful for the people who were being treated in a manner that did not give them all the rights and opportunities. The interpretation that was used in ...