Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court, and Civil Rights

In 1954, Thurgood Marshall achieved national recognition for his successful argument of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case. The Supreme Court's decision in this landmark case overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson (1889) by ruling that public school segregation constituted an unconstitutional violation of rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908, Thurgood Marshall graduated with honors from Lincoln University and received his law degree from Howard University in 1933, ranking first in his class. He soon joined the legal staff of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and, for the 20 years between 1940 and 1961, headed the organization's Legal Defense and Educational Fund. These experiences prepared him for the national challenges, recognition, and honors he would soon receive. On October 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.

Marshall broke the color gap of the court. Justice Clarence Thomas, another African-American, would follow. The gender gap also succumbed with the confirmation of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Recently, another breakthrough was achieved by Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Slowly, the Supreme Court is beginning to resemble a microcosm of American society.

Assign students to research the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka landmark decision that Marshall successfully argued and that changed history and help launched the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

Students should write a report of at least 150 words that cites at least four resources. Or students can create a PowerPoint presentation of at least seven slides.

Type Brown vs. Board of Education in the Search box.

Students will need to address the following essential questions for critical thinking in their reports (you should add or substitute others):

• What was the basis of the Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling that was overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education?
• How did Thurgood Marshall convince the Court to overturn Plessy vs. Ferguson?
• What were the arguments against Brown vs. Board of Education?
• How did Brown vs. Board of Education help support the Civil Rights movement?

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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