There were a number of cases brought before the Supreme Court of the United States in relation to racial discrimination. In Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court in the United States declared that it was unconstitutional to continue practicing state laws which separated public schools for Black and White students. The decision ruled that such state laws were a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. On the contrary, Plessy vs. Ferguson the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state laws that supported racial segregation, especially in public facilities. These laws became practical under the Separate but Equal Doctrine under which the African American students could not attend the same school as other ethnicities.
The plaintiff, in this case, was among other black children from various districts in the United States including Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware that applied State segregation laws (Roark 115). The out of court facts that made a difference to the outcome of the case was that these students were denied the opportunity to attend public schools that were meant for only white students according to the State segregation laws in the areas mentioned above. Therefore, they sort to declare that denial unconstitutional given that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourth Amendment provides for equal treatment of all individuals. It was the plaintiffs’ argument that they would not receive the same quality of education in schools meant for black children because of the feeling of inferiority complex and the lack of enthusiasm because of the discrimination. The three judges of the district court ruled for the defendant in all the cases except one, by invoking the decision in Plessy V. Ferguson.
One of the issue that the case is deciding relates to the question of whether the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment allows the implementation of laws that promote the doctrine of ‘separate by equal treatment.' The court also had to make a decision on whether the education provided in the schools for white children and those of black people were equal in terms of the quality of services provided. More specifically the provision of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was of great importance to this case. As a general rule of law, every other law must not contradict the Constitution since it is the supreme law of the land. Thus, any law or policy that contravenes its provisions is null and invalid.
The provision of the Constitution on equality is what formed the basis of the plaintiff’s argument. They argued that the doctrine of separation unconstitutional and hence the need to stop its implementation. The defendants, on the other hand, stated that it was not unconstitutional to have separate schools for blacks and whites so long as the quality of education that they received in these schools was equal in standards.
With respect to the first issue, the court declared that the doctrine of ‘separation but equal’ was unconstitutional. Thus, the provisions of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment did not protect any policy that required schools to have institutions for blacks and whites regardless of whether they offered equal educational services. The court also ordered the defendants to admit the plaintiffs to the schools where their application for admission was denied. It also stated that schools must submit a plan that will slowly lead to the progressive desegregation of academic institutions.
The reason for the court’s decision was that no type of segregation of educational facilities would be made equal because the practice itself was naturally discriminatory. Because of that reason, the attempts that they made to promote equality in both institutions did not meet the requirements of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. The bench of judges further stated that the court’s decision in Plessy V. Ferguson was overcome by the passage of time because things had changed drastically in the academic sector. In their opinion, it was necessary to overcome this decision because of the adverse emotional effects that discrimination has in children. They argued that the intention of the Fourteenth Amendment was to prohibit the occurrence of such distress that would create doubts about the state’s willingness to protect its people in the minds of potential citizens.
I agree with the decision of the court in this case. That is because the court has a duty to ensure that they uphold the supremacy of the Constitution in its ruling. Thus, when the court is called upon to interpret the constitutionality or otherwise of law, it must make such a decision by looking at the mischief that the provisions of the Constitution seek to eliminate. The court’s decision to overturn the decision in Plessy V. Ferguson because it allowed many people to use it as a way of evading their obligation under the Equal Protection Clause. That because racial discrimination is a practice that had was slowly changing and hence there was a need to embrace the change. This review had taught me the importance of judicial precedents. I have learned that higher courts can overturn the decisions of lower courts that later become binding.
The issue of racism is still prevalent in the U.S. For instance, African Americans are 33% more likely to be detained for felony that other people. Moreover, the Blacks are likely to receive 10% longer sentences than the Whites for the same crimes while 17% of the non-Whites are arrested for drug-related offenses (Feagin 54). Public schools witness about 40,000 cases of racial discrimination annually. Remarkably, types of racial discrimination have declined. For instance, African Americans have equal voting rights with other people. More Black people are also elected to legislative offices. This means that the white Americans are more realistic to the rights of African American societies. Children from both races can attend the same schools while the adults can exercise their constitutional rights to participate in democratic processes (Feagin 84).
In conclusion, for a long time racial discrimination has been prevalent in the American society. The Whites have expressed such forms of discrimination as prejudices and stereotyping against the Blacks. In the American history, there are landmarks and Acts aimed at reducing the cases of racism. These rulings and Acts have seen significant reduction on cases of racism. However, racial discrimination has not been ruled out completely.
Works Cited
Feagin, Joe R. Racist America: Roots, current realities, and future reparations. Routledge, 2014.
Roark, James., Johnson, Michael., Cohen, Patricia., Stage, Sarah, and Hartmann, Susan. The American Promise Value Edition, Volume II: From 1865: A History of the United States, Fifth Edition. NY: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1990
Work cited
Roark, James., Johnson, Michael., Cohen, Patricia., Stage, Sarah, and Hartmann, Susan. The American Promise Value Edition, Volume II: From 1865: A History of the United States, Fifth Edition. NY: Bedford/St. Martin's.
