Case of Brown v. Board of Education

There are well-known historical cases in American education. In view of the ongoing effort to eliminate inequality in education and other development areas, the Brown v. Board of Education case remains the most frequently discussed. The fourteenth amendment, which focuses on several aspects of citizenship and their rights, is at the center of this dispute. More specifically, there is the problem of equal legal protection. During this time period, the black and white people had markedly distinct social statuses (Brinkley 41). During the nineteenth century, the school system was set on promoting white dominance and subjugating the social standing of the black race.  Formal education has proved to be the single most useful tool in liberating populations from oppressive systems and cultures (Daughterity and Bolton 3). While informal education has its position in driving the economy of the nation, formal education takes more precedence. America’s educational history reveals that persons of color were the most subjugated lot in the social strata - a reality which contravenes the very principle of equality.

Historical Context

The land mark ruling on Brown against the board in charge of education litigated by the highest court in America has set precedence for the removal of structural segregation and inequality in America’s school system. As an adherent of the fourteenth amendment, the courts had to uphold the principle which hinged upon the provision of equal protection of the Constitution (Calabresi and Perl 3). While most education systems aim at creating equal learning opportunities to all categories of persons, a few institutions in the past had a principle that discriminated against the entry and admission of black citizens.

During the 19th century, schools were mostly private, and they were located in small tracts of land due to the reduced number of immigrants onto the well-known American plains. Religious societies owned schools since they had been in charge from the pre-agrarian era (Iorio and Yeager 5). At the time of the Brown versus Board of education historic ruling, the school systems only had whites as the beneficiaries. While schools for the blacks existed, they were often ill equipped in comparison to white schools.

During the post-agrarian era, further segregation was as a result of non-standardized tuition payment which saw blacks paying almost twice as much as the whites would pay (Iorio and Yeager 5). The courts experienced a wave of cases that brought huge discussion in the corridors of justice on the legality of the term “isolated but equal.” Several historians document that the education of other races in America at the time was mostly non-existent.

Legal and constitutional institutions had established schools for the white and by the whites. At the moment in time when America was struggling to renounce the rhetoric on social and racial segregation, the schools did not accommodate or admit children of color (Iorio and Yeager 7). The statute in Kansas which allows but did not necessarily require cities with a population of over 15,000 to continue operating distinct schools for black and white children. In particular, the Brown case was as a result of failed attempts by a colored child in Topeka in joining a white school – which was relatively close and more conveniently located. In the words of Chief Justice Earl, one of the presiding officials in the three-judge bench, “the state reserves education as one of its principal functions” (Iorio and Yeager 5). He further mentioned that a democratic nation which espouses equality in its statutes needs to recognize that such a fundamental responsibility needs to be offered equally to all as a tool for securing the future posterity of its population.

The key determinant to this submission is the idea that education is not only the key determinant for the social, economic and political emancipation of all persons under the law but segregation would negatively impact on the push by the social class antagonists to abolish this form of classism which would further divide the nation. In essence, institutions attend by children of color, as explained by Daughterity and Bolton (429), “were less staffed, lacked qualified teachers and did not have enough facilities to support quality education.” White schools, on the other hand, were top-notch institutions which boasted of high-end curriculums that would otherwise meet the learning needs of the white population.

The establishment and adherence to the Kansas state statute on segregated schools were a direct contravention of the provisions of the famously known fourteenth amendment (Bernice 1). Additional systems that aid in schooling, including methods of school transport and administration, were also entry points for the discussion of the case, as highlighted in the “Brown II” case. Anecdotes of evidence, including testimony by Brinkley (4), suggested that the levels of literacy of the whites were well above fifty percent, a statistic which is incomparable to the black race.

Conclusion

While the historic ruling brought about the consciousness of a united America in education, the years that followed had slim data on the division of resources between white and schools of people of color. Currently, the judiciary and other arms of government continue to advocate for the removal of racial and other social inequalities in education systems as a way of promoting equality and nationhood.

Works Cited

Brinkley, Alan. American History: A Survey. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print: 41.

Calabresi, Steven G, and Michael W. Perl. "Originalism and Brown V. Board of Education." 2014.3 (2014): 429.

Daugherity, Brian J, and Charles C. Bolton. With All Deliberate Speed: Implementing Brown V. Board of Education. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2011. Print.

Bernice, Donald. “Timeline of Supreme Court School Desegregation Cases from Brown to Fisher.” 2013. Web.

Iorio, Sharon Hartin, and M. Yeager. “School Reform: Past, Present and Future.” 2011. Web. 14 July 2017.