The Education of African Americans in the U.S. after Brown v. Board I and II. Total equality at last?

This paper takes a look at the historic decision of the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education and attempts to analyze it in regard to its research questions, being the following: Did the desegregation of the American public school system better the educational achievements of black students? Did the decision of Brown result in a more equal educational setting for African Americans and marked the transformation of America's public schools? What impact on the education of African Americans did the case of Brown, measured in actual factual consequences, have?

The decision is oftentimes referred to as historic and groundbreaking, which is irritating to a certain degree when looked at the reality in US schools today. To understand the need for such strong words for a Supreme Court’s decision, one must understand the road leading up to the landmark decision. Chapter 2 offers a brief overview of the cases which paved the way for Brown. Chapter 3 dives deeper into the social implications surrounding the case and analyzes Brown's factual impact. The conclusion in chapter 4 summarizes the findings and highlights its vital points.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction and research question
• The Road to Brown: Early Cases
• Brown v. Board of Education I and II
  • The significance of Plessy and the Supreme Court's role in (De-)Segregation
  • The Milestone Case
  • Implementation of Brown I and II
  • Institutional Evasion of Desegregation
  • Pushback from the General Public
  • Impact of Brown v. Board of Education I and II
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper analyzes the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, examining its impact on the educational achievements of Black students and its contribution to a more equitable educational setting for African Americans. It explores the historical context leading up to the decision and its actual factual consequences in the years following.

• The significance of the Brown v. Board of Education decision in the context of American history
• The evolution of segregation in education and the legal challenges leading to Brown
• The impact of the Brown decision on educational opportunities for Black students
• The challenges and limitations of desegregation in achieving educational equality
• The ongoing struggle for racial equality in education

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction and research question: This chapter sets the stage by introducing the contemporary reality of racial disparities in education and frames the research questions that guide the paper. It highlights the persistence of inequalities despite the historical significance of the Brown decision.
• The Road to Brown: Early Cases: This chapter traces the evolution of legal challenges to segregation, highlighting key cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and the rise of the NAACP in advocating for civil rights. It describes how legal loopholes and the Jim Crow laws perpetuated discrimination against African Americans.
• Brown v. Board of Education I and II: This chapter delves into the historical context of the Brown decision, discussing the Supreme Court's role in shaping racial equality and the social implications of the ruling. It analyzes the implementation challenges, the institutional evasion of desegregation, and the public reaction to the decision.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper focuses on the historical context of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, examining the evolution of segregation in education, the impact of desegregation, and the persistent inequalities faced by Black students in the American education system. Key themes include: racial equality, education, segregation, desegregation, legal challenges, Supreme Court, Jim Crow laws, NAACP, social implications, educational opportunities, and persistent inequalities.

Details

• College: University of Münster (Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften)
• Course: Jim Crow in the Classroom: Education in the twentieth-century American South
• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Lukas Freisler (Author)
• Publication Year: 2021
• Pages: 29
• Catalog Number: V1381310
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346958044
• ISBN (Book): 9783346958051
• Language: English
• Tags: education african americans brown board total