In the famous Brown V. The Board of
Education, the Supreme Court dictated that “separate but equal” was a violation
of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Their reason for
this decision was due to the idea that “that the
segregation of public education based on race instilled a sense of inferiority
that had a hugely detrimental effect on the education and personal growth of
African American children.” This means that although the black and white
schools might have been equal, the idea of racial segregation itself made them
both unethical and unequal. African Americans children were made to feel
inferior to Caucasian children because they were being told that they weren’t
good enough to go to the same school.
The Equal Protection Clause provides
equal protection to all individuals under the same law. The idea of racial
segregation is the furthest idea from equal due to the fact that the law
“separate but equal” was founded on racial prejudice meant to target African Americans
children, not Caucasian children. Caucasian children didn’t have to feel
inferior because of the segregation; this actually built a sense of
superiority. They didn’t have a ancestral history of slavery in America to
overcome, or have to face the same obstacles African American children faced in
society. So how can they be equal under that law? Their facilities weren’t
truly the same because of the different challenges.
The Brown V. The Board of Education
was one of the most important and influential cases in our nations history. It
reminded the people that the law was created for all to benefit from equally.
It also assisted in the progression of a dark, shameful time in our history. I
chose this case because today’s America I believe is showing sign of racial prejudice
and segregation towards other races. People need to remember that it is both
unconstitutional to attack specific racial groups because under the law we are
all equal.
