Thurgood Marshall: A Major Influence on Law and Equality
“In one section, at least of our common country, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people means a government by the mob” (Hitzeroth and Leon 13). This is an excerpt from a newspaper article written by reporter Ida B. Wells-Barnett, who was reviewing the conditions in which the African Americans were being treated in the South during the early 1900s (Hitzeroth and Leon 12). Thurgood Marshall overcame discrimination by pursuing his dreams of going into law despite the racism around him at the time, becoming the first African-American Supreme Court Judge, and fighting for equal rights for all people.
Thurgood Marshall overcame discrimination by his dreams of going into the law field despite the racism surrounding him at that time. “Thurgood Marshall, the great-grandson of a slave, grew up in the South and experienced racism and discrimination firsthand” (Hitzeroth and Leon 9). Since he was raised in the South, a more racist part of the country, he was already experiencing racism at a young age. He could not shop in the same store, sit in the same section of the bus, or attend the same schools as white children and white people in general (Hitzeroth and Leon 9-10). Also, he was a cum laude honors student, but he was denied admission to the University Of Maryland Law School because of the color of his skin (Hitzeroth and Leon 10). Despite all of these events, he still chose to pursue a career in law. Part of this could be because his father taught him to respect the U.S. Constitution and the authority of law (Thurgood Marshall Biography). Also, “author John Egerton wrote in his book Speak Now Against the Day, ‘In courtrooms, black lawyers were exceedingly...
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..., the combined fighting forces of Thurgood Marshall and the other “fighters” of the Civil Rights Movement were an important part fighting for the equality of all Americans. Thurgood Marshall said in his 1992 4th of July speech, “Knock down the fences that divide. Tear apart the walls that imprison. Reach out; freedom lies just on the other side” (Hitzeroth and Leon 99).
Works Cited
Hitzeroth, Deborah, and Sharon Leon. Thurgood Marshall. San Diego, CA: Lucent,
1997. Print.
Paddok, Lisa. “Thurgood Marshall.” The Sixties in America. Ed. Singleton Carl. 3 vols.
Salem Press, 1999. Salem History. Web. 21 March 2014.
"Thurgood Marshall Biography." Thurgood Marshall Biography. Thurgood Marshall
College, n.d. Web. 19 March 2014.
Tushnet, Mark. “Marshall, Thurgood.” World Book Student. World Book, 2014. Web. 21
March 2014.
Based on the pronouncements of the court on May 17, 1954, everyone in the courtroom was shocked after it became clear that Marshall was right in his claim about the unconstitutionality of legal segregation in American public schools. Essentially, this court’s decision became a most important turning point in U.S. history because the desegregation case had been won by an African American attorney. Additionally, this became a landmark decision in the sense that it played a big role in the crumbling of the discriminatory laws against African Americans and people of color in major socioeconomic areas, such as employment, education, and housing (Stinson, 2008). Ultimately, Marshall’s legal achievements contributed significantly to the criminal justice field.
The United States civil rights movement was a constant battle for the rights and freedom of African Americans. Martin Luther king Jr., the leader of the civil right movement, was hosting a non-violent protest in Birmingham city. However, the protest did not go as planned and King was arrested for agitating the public. Many fellow white clergymen were angered and upset over the “Ungodly” act. As a result,the Clergymen wrote a statement that claimed Martin Luther King Jr. to be an extremist. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to the clergymen’s statement while residing in Birmingham jail by writing a letter using the ethical, emotional, and logical appeals to defend his actions.
In the letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr, and the speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their very different viewpoints on what form of freedom would it take to accomplished their goal. While King believes that peaceful approaches would allow the black community to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X thinks achieving equality with white Americans is nearly impossible; therefore, he preaches a separatist doctrine. Although King and X are both fighting for the black community’s rights and their integration into the nation’s system, their approaches differ significantly. King and X differ in three main areas: their ultimate goals, the strategies to accomplish those goals, and their use of rhetoric.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, racial injustice was very prominent and even wildly accepted in the South. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were two of the most renowned “pioneers in the [search] for African-American equality in America” (Washington, DuBois, and the Black Future). Washington was “born a slave” who highly believed in the concept of “separate but equal,” meaning that “we can be as [distant] as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress” (Washington 1042). DuBois was a victim of many “racial problems before his years as a student” and disagreed with Washington’s point of view, which led
Thurgood Marshall attended Frederick Douglass High School and graduated with an above average in 1926. Three years later he got married to his first wife Vivian Burey in September 4, 1929 at the age of 21. He attended Lincoln University College in 1930. He graduated in 1933 with honors. After college he applied to university of Maryland law school, Even though he was over qualified academically he was still denied because of his race. He then applied to Howard Law School it’s a Historically Black school.
Thurgood Marshall was known in the NAACP’s Legal Defense as “Mr. Civil Rights,” because he fought many battles over segregation in the courts. Thurgood Marshall was surrounded by a team of brilliant lawyers, one in particular, Oliver Hill, from Virginia. Mr. Hill won many civil rights suits dealing with discrimination in education and wages. The civil rights movement included different groups with many priorities, all working toward the larger goal of social equality. The most highly educational law suit is Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown sued the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education to simply allow his own 8 year old daughter Linda attend a nearby school for whites only. Imagine every day walking by a school that have your grade level, riding a bus for miles to attend a school where only students of color must attend. On May 17, 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, and this is when the Supreme Court issued its historic ruling. It was Thurgood Marshall that spoke to reporters in New York City in 1955, after the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of public schools. Marshall later became the first African American Supreme Court
"The two races have lived here together. The Negro has been here in America since 1619, a total of 344 years. He is not going anywhere else; this country is his home. He wants to do his part to help make his city, state, and nation a better place for everyone, regardless of color and race. Let me appeal to the consciences of many silent, responsible citizens of the white community who know that a victory for democracy in Jackson will be a victory for democracy everywhere” (Medgar Evers in Jackson Mississippi, 2013). This excerpt is taken from a 17 minute speech by Medgar Evers on May 20, 1963, in response to the vocal criticisms of Mayor Allen Thompson’s view of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as being ‘outside agitators’.
In Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary, Juan Williams, a well-known political analysis on Fox News Channel, tells us the story of the influential American lawyer Thurgood Marshall. Williams shares with us the life events of Thurgood Marshall, along with stories and long kept secrets that are revealed to him during interviews with the experienced lawyer and his closest colleagues. Chronologically, Williams walks us through the experiences of Marshall beginning with his childhood background and schooling, then to his revolutionary career within the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and the Supreme Court, and concludes with Thurgood Marshall’s legacy and impact on the Civil Rights Movement.
The civil rights movement was a popular historical movement that worked to allow African Americans to have equal rights and privileges as U.S. citizens. The movement can be defined as a struggle against racial segregation and discrimination that began in the 1950s. Although the origins of the civil rights movement go back to the 1800s, the movement peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. African American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement from local to national levels. Many actions of the civil rights movement were concentrated through legal means such as negotiations, appeals, and nonviolent protests. When we think of leaders or icons of the movement we usually think of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Even though Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are important figures, their participation in the movement was minimal compared to other unknown or forgotten figures. Howell Raines’s, My Soul Is Rested, contains recollections of voices from followers of the civil rights movement. These voices include students, lawyers, news reporters, and civil right activists. Although the followers of the movement were lesser known, the impact they made shaped the society we live in today.
American history was characterized by the ugly reality of racial discrimination and different individuals and groups took part in fighting the vice (Library of Congress). African-Americans responded in different ways. For instance Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), advocated for industrial schooling for African-Americans and gradual social adjustment but opposed political and civil rights. The reformer Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) called for complete racial separatism and even started the popular project of "Back-to-Africa” where Africans would return to their origin. A different however was adopted which emphasized that African-Americans were in America to stay and would fight for their freedom and political equality. This is what led to the modern civil rights movement. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was one of these movements. It was campaign of the African-Americans that was dedicated to fight for the equal treatment of all races. This is because the African-Americans did not have the same rights as the whites due to their skin color. For example the African-Americans were not allowed to vote, they were not permitted to attend the same schoo...
During the years the Supreme Court has gone through some changes of its’ own. While Chief Justice Earl Warren was there the first African-American Justice was named to the court: Thurgood Marshall. Chief Justice Warren’s leadership marked a force in social issues. Along the lines of desegregation, election reform and the rights of defendants.
After the Plessy vs Ferguson verdict a lot of civil rights activists were outraged. A prominent African American group rose and fought against racial discrimination. The National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) fought against many different racial cases. For example, George McLaurin was accepted to a doctrine program at the University of Oklahoma("HISTORY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION") . However, McLaurin was asked by the University that he had to sit apart from the class and eat at a separate time than the whites. McLaurin was confused about this and hired Thurgood Marshall from the NAACP to help him defend his rights. Thurgood Marshall fought for McLaurin...
Words can bring positive change to a community, be it a small town or the entire world - all it takes is two key components, delivery and content. This was certainly the case with Clarence Darrow’s 1926 concluding speech in defence of African American, Henry Sweet, accused of the murder of a white man. Darrow’s monumental eight-hour speech set a legal precedent when Sweet was acquitted of his murder charge. The speech, “Changed the status of Negros before the law and meant in respect to defending ones home and self in self defence, what applied to whites now, in practice and not just in word, apply to African Americans as well.” Clarence Darrow’s speech, along with Henry Sweet’s acquittal, is now considered huge milestone in the civil rights movement.
Thurgood Marshall was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education.
There was no justice and human dignity between blacks and whites because blacks became victim of brutality by those who are depriving them of their rights to do whatever necessary to protect themselves. An example Malcolm stated when the police were putting water hoses on blacks and throwing tear gas at them and they met a hail of stones, a hail of rocks, a hail of bricks in Cleveland. Black American realized that the only way for them to gain their respect and freedom was to fight back and Malcolm gave an example how George Washington fought for independence violently. Malcolm realized the need to fight for all blacks over the world since if one black gets treated anyhow and nothing is done, another black in another country or place would face the same fate and get treated anyhow without any consequences hence freedom must be attain violently and he did not care if it would involve shedding of blood. Malcolm stated, “What happens to a black man in America today happens to the black man in Africa. What happens to a black man in America and Africa happens to the black man in Asia and to the man down in Latin America”. Over all, about twenty two million African Americans were ready to fight for