Black And White Schools example essay topic

393 words
"Separate But Equal" In the 1950's segregation in public schools was still being practiced. The "separate but equal" clause was said to be used, however it was not strictly enforced. In the "deep south" white schools were looked on as superior and were given more money for books classrooms and buses. A change was needed and Rev. James Hinton was the man started the push to make black and white schools equal. School official tried to make a point in saying that the African Americans did not pay as much taxes as the whites in the community that the school district did not need to provide transportation. People also did not want to sign a petition that would get Thurgood Marshall to represent them.

They were afraid that they would be fired from there jobs if their white bosses saw their names on the petition. Homer Plessy was a man who was said to be black, yet was seven-eighths white. This case was concerning a Louisiana statute that stated railroads can have "equal but separate accommodations for white and colored races". Homer bought a ticket for the white section of the train.

When police found out, they asked Plessy to move to the colored section. When Plessy didn't move to the colored section of the train, he was arrested. Plessy's case clarified the laws on racial segregation in the "separate but equal" clause. Some of the augments in the case were, taxpayers spent $179 on each white child for schooling and forty-three dollars for each black child. At black schools, teachers received forty percent less pay than teachers at white schools. There were also arguments that that segregated schools gave blacks an inferior feeling.

This argument helped Thurgood win the supreme court over when the went the "humanitarian" route. Today all schools are segregated. Kids are given the same education no matter what color they are. schools are becoming more diverse and everyone is benefiting from this. Without Thurgood Marshall's efforts to desegregate schools our nation would not be where it is today. Who knows what would have happened. There probably would have been another civil war.

Thurgood Marshall saved our country and truly defined why we have the 14th amendment.