The Civil Rights Movement: The Plessy V. Ferguson Case

The Civil Rights movement turned out to be a tumultuous time in U.S. History. Martin Luther King Jr. rose to power and died, people rioted, the country divided itself, and people died. This all happened because the color of some people differed from others. The government didn’t seem to get involved in these issues, as it often didn’t end up well, but for the issue of segregation, the U.S. government finally appeared to step up to the challenge. During the Civil Rights movement of 1950-1975, government intervention largely eliminated segregation due to the increased legal victories of African-Americans, integration of schools nationally, and the banning of discrimination from places of public accommodation and employment.
As more and more African-Americans

became involved in law and gained many successes, their gains led to the removal of barriers blocking the way to desegregation. Thurgood Marshall achieved a multitude of successes. Marshall played a crucial role in the advances made in desegregation. “The central figure in these stories is Thurgood Marshall, the tenacious, brilliant lawyer who headed the legal staff of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People between 1938 and 1961. Marshall argued and won more civil rights cases before the Supreme Court than any other lawyer and played a major role in shaping civil rights law as a Supreme Court Justice, serving from 1967 until his retirement in 1991” (Irons). Thurgood Marshall rallied against the courts tirelessly, fighting for the rights of people who couldn’t fight for themselves. He proved to the courts that his race wouldn’t determine his ability, as he won case after case after case. His victories led to outcomes in which the president or another branch passed a law, an act, etc. proving that desegregation is a horrid institution. However, Thurgood Marshall’s involvement in law came much earlier than his most noted court win, Plessy v. Ferguson. Most of his cases focused on educational equality, as he won multitudes of cases concerning segregation and discrimination in not just k-12, but also in higher education. “Marshall adopted the military tactics of encirclement and attrition in launching the campaign against Jim Crowe schooling, first winning Supreme Court orders that graduate and law schools in border states must admit black students, although the justices declined in these cases to overturn the Plessy decision” (Irons). Marshall worked for all people struggling to learn, because it’s something that the majority of people desire to do – because curiosity is innate.

As he overturned Jim Crow schooling and educational discrimination laws, he gave the black people of America the ability to learn like everyone else, because they no longer had to separate school because of race. Marshall’s win in overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson case shot the Civil Rights Movement to the forefront because it proved that the motto “separate but equal” didn’t enforce equality. “Thurgood Marshall as the "warrior of the bar" is shown well here. His brilliant advocacy and ultimate victory in the historic Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation case in 1954, arguably his most notable courtroom feat…” (Portwood). Thurgood Marshall’s job in overturning the Brown v. Board case determined the disparaging effects segregation took on people. People could not learn at the same level as another simply because of race. Without this Marshall and his determination, a lot of America would be forced into inferiority, because their race determined their worth, but instead, anyone can become anything or anyone they want, as there are no boundaries. On a similar note, Constance Motley was another figure of importance pertaining to the courts and law. She worked alongside Marshall in the

NAACP, and helped Marshall with a large majority of his court cases. “Constance Motley's role as a leader in the civil rights movement began after she was appointed by NAACP Chief Counsel Thurgood Marshall to be associate counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She served in this position for twenty years, 1945-1965. Motley spent many hours preparing briefs, devising strategy, and preparing plaintiffs for civil rights cases. In 1954, she assisted Marshall in litigating the Supreme Court's famous Brown v. Board of Education decision, which declared racial segregation in public schools unlawful. Judge Motley practiced civil rights law at a time when it was rare to see a black woman lawyer in a southern courtroom. She demonstrated that the law could be called into use as an instrument for social change and racial justice” (Martin and Sullivan). Women in the courtroom, let alone a black woman would have stunned bystanders. However, due to Motleys persistence and strength, she worked alongside Marshall to help lead blacks to the world where they could be people, not just a color, because segregation would no longer be a barrier. As the African-American lawyers overturned these educational court cases, the next step in the process of eliminating segregation began, with desegregation implemented in schools.
Due to the increase of school integration efforts, segregation began to decay more and more.

Winning the Brown v. Board case advanced the NAACP’s mission for desegregated public education. After this win, many members of the NAACP came together for a convention in Atlanta, where they formulated the Atlanta Declaration. They maintained their goals of ridding segregation from schools across America but also keeping a positive outlook on the future. “All Americans are now relieved to have the law of the land declare in the clearest language: ‘…in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal’. Segregation in public education is now not only unlawful; it is un-American. True Americans are grateful for this decision. Now that the law is made clear, we look to the future. Having canvassed the situation in each of our states, we approach the future with the utmost confidence…” (Palmer) The NAACP took a benevolent approach to eliminating segregation, not wanting to severely attack or cavil. The members realized that the country needed change but wanted to achieve it peacefully. They all came together, broadcasting a message of hope to the nation, as they predicted a positive future. Their statement reflected the change of the years to come in schooling, because the message had the sole purpose of inspiring change while also reaffirming that segregation would truly be brought to its end. The

NAACP worked nonstop to move towards educational equality for black people. As stated in the Atlanta Declaration, the NAACP continued to push for more and more desegregation in public education. They wanted desegregation on all levels and were anxious to work with other people who no longer wanted desegregation delayed any longer. Brown v. Board was an extremely critical success and a memorable victory, but it provided a victory for all Americans, not just the NAACP. Many black students stepped up to the challenge and became major figures in the Civil Rights Movement, as integration into a white school didn’t occur without its fair share of racism and oppression. Melba Beals signed up to attend Little Rock’s Central High School, an all white public school in Little Rock, Arkansas. In her memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry, Beals recounts the many struggles she experienced as one of the ‘Little Rock Nine’. Melba and her fellow classmates originally attended Horace Mann, an all-black school. When news of the black students attending Central High spread, white dissenters threatened the students with death, while others threatened lawsuits. Governor Faubus opposed the integration, as he stated he would send the Arkansas National Guard to the school to prevent the black students from entering. Throughout Melba’s time at Central High, when racist backfire like this occurred, some high government officials involved themselves in the settling of the issues. Eisenhower became a major proponent in the Central High case, as once he had attempted to resolve issues with Faubus and another time he sent the 101st Airborne to protect the nine. Eisenhower played a role in saving the nine, because without his guidance, the students would have to walk into a war zone each and every day. He made sure that the nine would receive an education at Central High, ensuring that they wouldn’t have to return to their only black school. In a similar manner to Little Rock, on June 11, 1963 the president of the University of Alabama, George Wallace, personally blocked two black students from entering the Foster Auditorium at UA in order to prevent them from enrolling. Earlier that year, a federal judge had ordered that Vivian Malone and James Hood were admitted to the University of Alabama. Both President Kennedy and Attorney General Kennedy worked to ensure the process of enrollment for these two students, taking Wallace’s actions into account. Then, when Wallace blocked the door himself, many news correspondents and photographers documented the event as state police surrounded the building and the Alabama National Guard prepared to remove Wallace if needed. Wallace refused the multiple orders asked of him until President Kennedy authorized the use of force in the Guard in order remove Wallace. The UA president finally abandoned his post, ultimately allowing Vivian Malone and James Hood to enroll. Sometimes, people put up a fight against integrating schools. Kennedy however, took matters into his and the governments hands, ensuring that the black college students would receive their education at UA. He employed the National Guard, tried to negotiate, and used some other tactics, but in the end, he chipped away at segregation, leading it to disappear more and more.