“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”.1 This statement, written by the United States Supreme Court in the court decision of Brown vs. Board of Education, helped to end the segregation of schools in America. In Brown vs. Board of Education, Linda Brown believed that her 14th amendment right was being violated when she was forced to walk through a dangerous railroad switchyard to get to her bus stop that was segregated from the closer, all white bus stop. In this controversial case, the United States Supreme Court unanimously decided that the decision to segregate schools based on race violated the 14th amendment right.
Linda Brown lived in Topeka, Kansas during the 1940’s, a time when segregation of race was common throughout society. To get to a segregated school in Kansas, Linda Brown had to walk across a dangerous railroad switchyard. This action prompted Oliver Brown, Linda’s father, to sue a Kansas school board due to…show more content… Board of Education challenged the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Amendment 14 states, “ No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The plaintiffs, or people challenging the court, claimed that segregation schools can’t be made equal and that African Americans are deprived of equal protection. This court case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court so that African Americans could be awarded the same educational opportunities as whites. African Americans, at the time, felt they were deprived of life, liberty, and property which prompted them to fight for equal protection and equal education by challenging the 14th
