Brown vs. Board of Education

As early as 1849, African American parents challenged the system of education in the United States. The United States mandated separate schools for their children based solely on race. In Kansas alone there were eleven school integration cases dating from 1881 to 1949, prior to Brown which was in 1954. In many instances the schools for African American children had horrible facilities with out-of-date textbooks and often no basic school supplies.
In response to numerous unsuccessful attempts to ensure equal opportunities for all children, African American community leaders and organizations across the country stepped up efforts to change the educational system. “In the fall of 1950 members of the Topeka, Kansas, Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) agreed to again challenge the "separate but equal" doctrine governing public education.” 1
Many thought that a decision would be found for the case quickly and that the case ...