Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
El Ed/Sec Ed 204Week 7
History of Education in US
Civil Rights
US Education and Civil Rights
Black WW II soldiers experienced less discrimination in European countries
President Truman desegregated army a few years after the war
successful performance of Black soldiers fuels fight for equality and gains supports from others
the direct effect on education was the attempt to desegregate public schools
US Education and Civil RightsBrown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS
1954 Supreme Court consolidated case– South Carolina– Kansas– Virginia – Delaware– District of Columbia
Attack 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ‘separate but equal’ ruling
Thurgood Marshall lead NAACP lawyer
US Education and Civil RightsBrown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS
1954 U. S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation is unconstitutional– Chief Justice Earl Warren– “We conclude that in the field of public
education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina Joseph Albert Delaine
– Black preacher– principal
R. W. Elliott– White, chairman of school board, ran sawmill
Wright’s Bluff river port Summerton ‘urban center’ for white owners Manning county seat
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina L. B. McCord
– pastor of Manning Presbyterian Church– county superintendent of schools– dual occupation made him powerful
Senator “Pitchfork Ben” Tillman– bankrupt farmer, anti-Negro
James Hinton– state president of NAACP– preacher
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina Scott’s Branch School Pearson v. County Board of Education
– Levi Pearson• 3 children• farmer• plaintiff
– Harold R. Boulware• attorney
– thrown out because Pearson’s farm in wrong district
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina County only paid teachers’ salaries
– Did not pay for fuel, bus, books, chalk etc.
Blacks economically dependent– Tenent farmers – Land owners dependent on White-owned
equipment, businesses, and banks– Teachers dependent on White school boards
and superintendents
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina principal fired at one Black school (Scott’s
Branch School)– Suspected involvement in Pearson case– replacement incompetent
Pearson had trouble harvesting his crop Black citizens met with NAACP
– Needed a number of signatures on a petition– Delaine openly took leadership
• Fired, blackmailed, and sued for slander
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Clarendon County, South Carolina H. B. Betchman
– White superintendent District No. 22
Briggs v. Elliott– Harry Briggs
• Navy veteran• attendant at Carrigan service station• five children• plaintiff
– R. W. Elliott• chairman of school board
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas free-soilers establish Lawrence and Topeka
– Did not want to compete with free slave labor
– Negroes ultimately allowed in but denied vote
Built highways and diversified economy – homesteaders, corn and wheat farmers, railroaders,
cattlemen
Schools segregated, desegregated and resegregated• William Reynolds attempts to enroll Black son in all White
Topeka school in 1903
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Topeka segregated by law and custom in
1950s– 18 elementary schools for Whites, 4 for Blacks
Menial jobs for Blacks regardless of education– Built their own businesses
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Black teachers dependent on Whites for
their jobs Some Blacks feared integration would lead
to loss of jobs– Could not teach White children– Could not compete in open market– Therefore some not cordial to NAACP
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Oliver Brown
– Black welder– part-time pastor– quiet, nonmilitant– plaintiff
Lucinda Todd– Black ex-schoolteacher– active NAACP member, local branch secretary
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Mamie Luella Williams
– Black master teacher– 42 years, highly respected– against NAACP integration efforts
Graham v. Board of Education– junior high school integrated– eight Black teachers fired
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Kenneth McFarland
– 1942 superintendent of schools– White segregationist
Harrison Caldwell– Black teacher– overseer of Black schools– viewed as “difficult and dictatorial”
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas Elisha Scott
– mentee of Rev Shelton– Black lawyer
Esther Brown– White, Jewish housewife– employer of Mrs William Swann– efforts integrated South Park school– pushed NAACP, Wichita to launch suit
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas McKinley Burnett
– Black NAACP leader in Topeka– worked at government supply depot
The Citizen’s Committee petition– 1948, presented to Topeka Board of Education– presented by Burnett and Daniel Sawyer– attack on McFarland-Caldwell administation– called for end to segregated schools
US Education and Civil Rights Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS Topeka, Kansas 1950, Todd and Burnett wrote Walter White
about need to go to court over unbearable situation
filed as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, February, 1951
