Social implications Brown v. Board of Education

1 social implications

1.1 deep south
1.2 upland south
1.3 north

social implications

not accepted brown v. board of education decision. in virginia, senator harry f. byrd, sr. organized massive resistance movement included closing of schools rather desegregating them. see, example, southern manifesto. more implications of brown decision, see school integration in united states.

deep south

texas attorney general john ben shepperd organized campaign generate legal obstacles implementation of desegregation.

in 1957, arkansas governor orval faubus called out state s national guard block black students entry little rock central high school. president dwight eisenhower responded deploying elements of 101st airborne division fort campbell, kentucky, arkansas , federalizing arkansas s national guard.

also in 1957, florida s response mixed. legislature passed interposition resolution denouncing decision , declaring null , void. florida governor leroy collins, though joining in protest against court decision, refused sign it, arguing attempt overturn ruling must done legal methods.

in mississippi fear of violence prevented plaintiff bringing school desegregation suit next 9 years. when medgar evers sued desegregate jackson, mississippi schools in 1963 white citizens council member byron de la beckwith murdered him. 2 subsequent trials resulted in hung juries. beckwith not convicted of murder until 1994.

in 1963, alabama gov. george wallace blocked door foster auditorium @ university of alabama prevent enrollment of 2 black students. became infamous stand in schoolhouse door wallace backed segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever policy had stated in 1963 inaugural address. moved aside when confronted general henry graham of alabama national guard, ordered president john f. kennedy intervene.

upland south

in north carolina, there strategy of nominally accepting brown, tacitly resisting it. on may 18, 1954 greensboro, north carolina school board declared abide brown ruling. result of initiative of d.e. hudgins jr, former rhodes scholar , prominent attorney, chaired school board. made greensboro first, , years only, city in south, announce intent comply. however, others in city resisted integration, putting legal obstacles actual implementation of school desegregation years afterward, , in 1969, federal government found city not in compliance 1964 civil rights act. transition integrated school system did not begin until 1971, after numerous local lawsuits , both nonviolent , violent demonstrations. historians have noted irony greensboro, had heralded such progressive city, 1 of last holdouts school desegregation.

in moberly, missouri, schools desegregated, ordered. however, after 1955, african-american teachers local negro school not retained; ascribed poor performance. appealed dismissal in naomi brooks et al., appellants, v. school district of city of moberly, missouri, etc., et al.; upheld, , scotus declined hear further appeal.

north

many northern cities had de facto segregation policies, resulted in vast gulf in educational resources between black , white communities. in harlem, new york, example, not single new school had been built since turn of century, nor did single nursery school exist, second great migration caused overcrowding of existing schools. existing schools tended dilapidated , staffed inexperienced teachers. northern officials in denial of segregation, brown helped stimulate activism among african-american parents mae mallory who, support of naacp, initiated successful lawsuit against city , state of new york on brown s principles. mallory , thousands of other parents bolstered pressure of lawsuit school boycott in 1959. during boycott, of first freedom schools of period established. city responded campaign permitting more open transfers high-quality, historically-white schools. (new york s african-american community, , northern desegregation activists generally, found contending problem of white flight, however.)

the intellectual roots of plessy v. ferguson, landmark united states supreme court decision upholding constitutionality of racial segregation in 1896 under doctrine of separate equal were, in part, tied scientific racism of era. however, popular support decision more result of racist beliefs held many whites @ time. in deciding brown v. board of education, supreme court rejected ideas of scientific racists need segregation, in schools. court buttressed holding citing (in footnote 11) social science research harms black children caused segregated schools.

both scholarly , popular ideas of hereditarianism played important role in attack , backlash followed brown decision. mankind quarterly founded in 1960, in part in response brown decision.