Joey
McClean
Under the jurisdiction of Plessy V. Ferguson, the black community in the South was oppressed socially, economically and politically. Negro schools were dilapidated old buildings with no books and no buses in most cases. Outside of the dilapidated schools, the Negro children were victims of terrible racism in society. The social and economic aspects of black inferiority were supported by the political enforcer of Plessy. Plessy V. Ferguson was a Supreme Court decision that declared that it was Constitutionally acceptable for blacks and whites to have separate facilities, as long as they were equal. This decision was the basis for segregation in the South. Although it was very difficult and dangerous to go against this socially accepted institution, two brave black NAACP lawyers named Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall took on the task. Their goal was to work their way up to reversing the decision of Plessy V. Ferguson and therefore end segregation. Thurgood and Houston used the court system as their tool to work their way up to the Supreme Court, which had the ultimate power over the future of the black community in America. This case was a true test of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a role in this country to interpret and judge the laws fairly, which in turn gives each American an equal opportunity for a quality life.
Mr. Thurgood Marshall, Charles Houston, Charles Scott, Charles Bledsoe, John Scott, Elisha Scott, and Oliver Brown were the courageous lawyers who took on the daunting task of trying to reverse Plessy. They proposed to do this by using a plan that was devised by the head of the NAACP lawyer division, Charles Houston. Houston’s idea was to first challenge the equal part of the Plessy doctrine. He would work his way up to the Supreme Court by first having many small cases behind him in different counties such as Murray V. Maryland, Gaines V. Missouri, Briggs V. Clarendon County, and Pierson V. Clarendon County. Each of these was just a small case that the NAACP used to get their point out in the open and to get the issue rolling. Each small victory, or even a dissident write-up from a judge was a huge step towards their goal. Marshall also used the strategy of proving that segregation mentally harmed Negro children. A social scientist named Kenneth Clark used dolls, two black and two white, to prove that Negro children preferred white to black. It also showed that the children not only preferred white, but also thought that the black dolls were evil, or bad. Marshall argued that the facilities for Negroes were not equal, and even if they were it would not be good enough because the very idea of segregation harmed the black children irreparably. The 14th amendment of the Constitution specifically stated that all citizens of the United States were protected with the same rights and could not be denied equal treatment and protection. The Supreme Court was a necessary step in this procedure because this was a national matter of violation of Constitutional rights.
Although it is the Supreme Court’s job to be fair and wise, it is not always the case. Some of the justices on the court at that time were not the most balanced people. Chief Justice Fred Vinson, although a good man, was not a very good leader at this time. The court needed unity and firmness in their decision-making. Vinson was very round about. Justice Felix Frankfurter was another questionable justice in the group. His decision to postpone the decision and re-argument was based on personal opinion instead of justice and the law. It was not right for him to make these decisions just because he did not trust that the country would accept an overture of Plessy. Upon the early removal of Vinson as Chief Justice due to medical problems, Earl Warren was put up to the task. Chief Justice Earl Warren was a former governor of California, and US attorney general under FDR. His background made him more of a born leader than Vinson. He was used to making decisions and getting everyone to go along. Warren was also influenced because in California, there was no segregation, so this was a foreign and immoral idea to him, therefore influencing his decision in the case. This change in Chief Justice leadership was critical for the court in order to make the decision to reverse Plessy because there was stronger leadership and less bias towards segregation.
In the end all the efforts of the NAACP and the plaintiffs finally paid off. The court decided unanimously to overturn Plessy. The court voted this way because they knew that there was no way around it. There was just too much evidence to support their case. It was especially important that they had a unanimous decision. This showed the whole country that not just a majority, but also all of the head Justices who interpreted the Constitution believed that segregation was wrong. It was a big reinforcement. This was important to blacks because it ended segregation and gave them the obvious opportunities that they had been excluded from. It also affected whites because the integration forced them to learn to tolerate. It was only at this time that America had gained true legal equality. After this case was finished, the whole government and justice system had finally realized that there had to be true equality. Although there were many who did not take the change well, it was accepted by others. The Supreme Court had done its job correctly by abiding by the Constitution as it was truly written.
For hundreds of years blacks in America lived a horrible and substandard lifestyle. They were inferior to whites in every aspect of life. They were kept down by the poor education that they received. Many said, “Keep them stupid.” It was only when a few brave lawyers from the NAACP and courageous average Americans decided to stand up to this that things started to change. The reversal of Plessy was probably the most important event in black history, and even American history. This is a prime example of the Supreme Court being called upon to exercise its powers fairly and correctly.