Education- (1951-1954), Kansas, Topeka, Monroe Elementary School, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (1,027)
In 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy v. Ferguson decision that separate accommodation in public transportation (railroad travel) was legal. The "separate but equal" doctrine derived from the Plessy v. Ferguson decision prevailed for over a half century. That doctrine was challenged as unconstitutional in 1951 when 13 parents of 20 children volunteered to attempt to enroll their children in white schools in Topeka, Kansas. At that time black elementary students in Topeka were assigned to four schools. When the students were denied enrollment, the parents filed court complaints. A District Court ruled against the parents, essentially ruling that segregation in public schools was legal.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People challenged the lower court ruling in the U. S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. On May 17, 1954, the U. S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the policy of segregation in public schools violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution (14th Amendment, Section 1) and therefore was unconstitutional.
Thurgood Marshall was one of the attorneys who led the fight against segregation in public education at the Supreme Court. He later became a Supreme Court justice. Brown v. Board of Education was a watershed decision that was the precursor to the civil rights movement of the second half of the 20th century.
The Monroe Elementary School was built in 1926 and was in service until 1975. The Italian Renaissance Revival style building, designed by Thomas W. Williamson is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
.
Education- (1951-1954), Kansas, Topeka, Monroe Elementary School, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (1,027)
In 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy v. Ferguson decision that separate accommodation in public transportation (railroad travel) was legal. The "separate but equal" doctrine derived from the Plessy v. Ferguson decision prevailed for over a half century. That doctrine was challenged as unconstitutional in 1951 when 13 parents of 20 children volunteered to attempt to enroll their children in white schools in Topeka, Kansas. At that time black elementary students in Topeka were assigned to four schools. When the students were denied enrollment, the parents filed court complaints. A District Court ruled against the parents, essentially ruling that segregation in public schools was legal.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People challenged the lower court ruling in the U. S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. On May 17, 1954, the U. S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the policy of segregation in public schools violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution (14th Amendment, Section 1) and therefore was unconstitutional.
Thurgood Marshall was one of the attorneys who led the fight against segregation in public education at the Supreme Court. He later became a Supreme Court justice. Brown v. Board of Education was a watershed decision that was the precursor to the civil rights movement of the second half of the 20th century.
The Monroe Elementary School was built in 1926 and was in service until 1975. The Italian Renaissance Revival style building, designed by Thomas W. Williamson is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
.