A
fter the Supreme Court ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the doctrine of “separate but equal” applied to all segregated facilities throughout America. However, in May 1954, the Supreme Court ruled against this “separate but equal” doctrine in favor of school integration. It reasoned that “separate” inherently meant unequal. This epoch decision added credibility to civil rights movements in the South, and became a precedent for future court decisions regarding race relations in America.
Timeline
Quote: Chief Justice Earl Warren
“We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place.”
Other: Case first argued
Dec 9, 1952
Other: Case reargued
Dec 8, 1953
Other: Date decision handed down
May 17, 1954
Justices of the Supreme Court: Supreme Court Vote
Unanimous, 9 for 9
Cases Included with Brown: Prince Edward County, Virginia
Dorothy E. Davis v. County School Board
Cases Included with Brown: Washington, D.C.
Spottswood Thomas Bolling v. C. Melvin Sharpe
Cases Included with Brown: Delaware
Francis B. Gebhart v. Ethel Louise Belton
Cases Included with Brown: South Carolina
Harry Briggs, Jr. v. R.W. Elliott
Location
Washington, D.C.
Event
Oliver Brown, et. al v. Board of Education of Topeka
Also Known As
Case citation: 347 U.S. 483
Other Facts
Additional Justices
Hugo Black, Stanley Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William Douglas, Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, Tom Clark, Sherman Minton
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
NAACP Laywers
Thurgood Marshall, Charles E. Bledsoe, Charles Scott, Robert L. Carter, Jack Greenberg
