Spectators line up at Supreme Court for school cases: 1953
Spectators line up outside the U.S. Supreme Court December 7, 1953 waiting to hear arguments on five cases that challenged segregation of public schools, including the Bolling v. Sharpe case that affected the District of Columbia.
James Nabritt and George E. C. Hayes made the arguments for the plaintiffs in the Bolling case stressing that the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the so-called “separate but equal” schools.
The argument centered around the plaintiff’s contention that the District’s public schools were inherently unequal because of segregation that deprived African Americans of “liberty” under the Fifth Amendment.
The four other school cases centered on the 14th Amendment’s “equal protection” clause, but the clause only applied to states and not the District of Columbia.
In May 1954, the Court ruled for the plaintiffs in all five cases, reversing the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson and outlawing so-called “separate but equal” schools.
For more information and related images, see www.flickr.com/gp/washington_area_spark/t28BJ9
For a detailed blog post detailing the fight to desegregate District of Columbia schools, see washingtonspark.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/dcs-fighting-bar...
The photographer is unknown. The image is an auction find.
Spectators line up at Supreme Court for school cases: 1953
Spectators line up outside the U.S. Supreme Court December 7, 1953 waiting to hear arguments on five cases that challenged segregation of public schools, including the Bolling v. Sharpe case that affected the District of Columbia.
James Nabritt and George E. C. Hayes made the arguments for the plaintiffs in the Bolling case stressing that the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the so-called “separate but equal” schools.
The argument centered around the plaintiff’s contention that the District’s public schools were inherently unequal because of segregation that deprived African Americans of “liberty” under the Fifth Amendment.
The four other school cases centered on the 14th Amendment’s “equal protection” clause, but the clause only applied to states and not the District of Columbia.
In May 1954, the Court ruled for the plaintiffs in all five cases, reversing the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson and outlawing so-called “separate but equal” schools.
For more information and related images, see www.flickr.com/gp/washington_area_spark/t28BJ9
For a detailed blog post detailing the fight to desegregate District of Columbia schools, see washingtonspark.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/dcs-fighting-bar...
The photographer is unknown. The image is an auction find.