Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

In 1950 the Reverend Oliver Brown of Topeka, Kansas, wanted to enroll his daughter, Linda Brown, in the school nearest his home (Lusane 26). The choices before him were the all-white school, only four blocks away, or the black school that was two miles away and required travel (26). His effort to enroll his daughter was spurned (26). In 1951, backed by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, he filed suit against the Topeka school board and his case was joined by three other similar cases that were presented before the Supreme Court as one consolidated case (26). On May 17, 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court issued one of its most historic rulings. The single most important Supreme Court case of the twentieth century Brown v. Board of Education forever changed American society and greatly impacted the lives of all African Americans psychologically, socially, and historically. One of the arguments for the decision was based on the psychological effects of segregation on black children.

It was the pioneering work of the black psychologist Kenneth B. Clark, that the court emphasized segregated schooling fostered a sense of inferiority in black students. Clark used dolls to determine the effects of segregation on black children (Tacklach 47). He would show the children two dolls, one black and one white and ask the child which doll he or she liked best, which doll was nicer, which doll was more fun to play with (47). The results of the test disturbed Clark (47). More often than not, black children identified the white doll as being nicer and more fun to play with (47). Clark concluded, therefore, that the black children, even as young as three or four years old, had already developed a negative self-image (47). He reasoned that their disliking of the black doll indicated their dissatisfaction with their own racial background, a dissatisfaction resulting from living in a segregated society that judged black people as inferiors (47).

One of the gains in educational opportunity began in the 1960s, when programs in Black Studies or African American Studies were first established (Wilson 25). These programs encouraged black students to value themselves and their cultural heritage (25). If it had not been for Brown v. Board of Education many blacks would still feel inferior to whites and therefore have low self esteem. While textbook history ignored the great contributions of African Americans, these programs highlighted the achievements of African Americans (25). The ability to learn about the achievements of great black helped encourage the self esteem and self worth of many black children. As a result of the decision of Brown v. Board of Education the black community experienced substantial gains in education. The fact that blacks were made to feel inferior to whites led to problems involving blacks socially. Gunnar Myrdal, author of An American Dilemma stated that socially, African Americans lived and were considered outsiders, unable to enjoy, because of segregation or economic circumstance, the enrichment afforded by the arts, travel, and the world of entertainment (Tacklach 49).

Another example of how the Brown v. Board of Education impacted blacks socially can be found in the improvement of school performance of minority children. In desegregated schools academic motivation of all students did increase and even attendance was better (Tacklach 59). Every sample of students who were desegregated at the elementary level showed positive academic gains (59). One gauge of success was the impact of school integration on white children (59). All studies reached the same conclusion: there was no drop in performance, achievement or motivation of white school children participating in school desegregation. Many studies concluded that white students motivation improved in may cases. With daily contact the stereotypes of black people held by white people and their parents were dispelled (60). It was too believed that teachers and administrators became more tolerant of diversity and different ways of learning exhibited by the broad range of students that they now had to teach since the ruling (60). While this was a huge effect due to the impact of the case