Question

The following is a list of arguments in the Brown v. Board of Education court case. Read through each argument and decide whether it supports Brown's side against segregation (LB), Board of Education of Topeka's position in favor of segregation (TOP), both sides (BOTH), or neither side (N).

1. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution states: § "No State shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." § The Fourteenth Amendment precludes a state from imposing distinctions based upon race. Racial segregation in public schools reduces the benefits of public education to one group solely on the basis of race and is unconstitutional.

2. The Fourteenth Amendment states that people should be treated equally; it does not state that people should be treated the same. Treating people equally means giving them what they need. This could include providing an educational environment in which they are most comfortable learning. White students are probably more comfortable learning with other white students; black students are probably more comfortable learning with other black students. These students do not have to attend the same schools to be treated equally under the law; they must simply be given an equal environment for learning. The U.S. District Court found that the facilities provided for black children in Topeka were equal to those of white children.

3. Psychological studies have shown that segregation has negative effects on black children. By segregating white students from black students, a badge of inferiority is placed on the black students, a system of separation beyond school is perpetuated, and the unequal benefits accorded to white students as a result of their informal contacts with one another is reinforced. The U.S. District Court found that segregation did have negative effects on black children.

4. In 1896 the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. In this case, Homer Plessy sued, alleging that his Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated by a Louisiana law requiring the railroad companies to provide equal, but separate, facilities for white and black passengers. The Court declared that segregation was legal as long as facilities provided to each race were equal. The Court declared that the legal separation of the races did not automatically imply that the black race was inferior. Legislation and court rulings could not overcome social prejudices, according to Justice Brown. "If one race be inferior to the other socially, the constitution of the United States cannot put them on the same plane."

5. In 1950 the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case of Sweatt v. Painter. In this case Herman Sweatt was rejected from the University of Texas Law School because he was black. He sued school officials alleging a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment rights. The Court examined the educational opportunities at the University of Texas Law School and a new law school at the Texas State University for Negroes and determined that the facilities, curricula, faculty and other tangible factors were not equal. Furthermore, the justices argued that other factors such as the reputation of the faculty and position and influence of the alumni could not be equalized. They therefore ruled in favor of Sweatt.

6. The United States has a federal system of government that leaves educational decision making to state and local legislatures.

Answer 1

The Brown v. Board of Education case determined that segregated public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment. Arguments 1, 3, and 5 support Brown's side (LB) against segregation, while Argument 2 supports the Board of Education of Topeka (TOP). Argument 4 provides historical context but essentially supports the Board's stance (TOP), and Argument 6 is neutral (N).

Step-by-step explanation:

The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark Supreme Court case in which the Justices unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The arguments presented can be aligned as follows:

• Argument 1 supports Brown's side against segregation (LB), as it directly argues that segregation is unconstitutional based on the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.
• Argument 2 supports the Board of Education of Topeka's position favoring segregation (TOP), suggesting that equal treatment doesn't require integration and that separate schools can meet the standard of equality.
• Argument 3 supports Brown's side (LB), referencing psychological studies indicating that segregation has adverse effects on black children, thus counter to the principle of equal protection.
• Argument 4 reflects the historical context of the 'separate but equal' doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson, which the Board might use as a reference to support segregation (TOP), but it was the precedent challenged by Brown.
• Argument 5 supports Brown's side (LB), citing a case where 'separate but equal' was proven to be unequal in practice — the Sweatt v. Painter decision.
• Argument 6 is a general statement about the US education system and doesn't specifically support either side (N).

The case of Brown v. Board of Education highlighted the struggle against de jure segregation and ultimately led to a historic movement towards desegregation and equality in education. It set a precedent for challenging segregation in other institutions, marking a pivotal turn in the civil rights movement.

Answer 2

Let's match each argument with the side it supports

1. LB: The Equal Protection Clause, included in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution provides equality of rights to all US citizens without discrimination in terms of race. In segregated schools, good quality education is reserved to a certain social group and restrained to tohers.
2. TOP: this argument is the so-called "separate but equal" lemma. The US Constitution does not explicitly mention that education has to be provided to all students together only that its quality needs to be the same for everbody, so that the equality of rights provision is fulfilled. Those who argued in favour of the constitutionality of segregation claimed that, as long as separate public facilities were equal in terms of quality, the equal protection clause is guaranteed.
3. LB: this argument tries to contradict the "separate but equal" reasoning, explaning how there is no equality of opportunities for black children when they are educated in a segregated system.
4. TOP: the landmark decision adopted by the US Supreme Court in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson, allowed segregation to occurr as long as the "separate but equal" requirement was fulfilled (in order to comply with the 14th Amendment), arguing that segregation simply reflected the evident social differences between races.
5. LB: the decision adopted by the US Supreme Court in Sweatt v. Painter supported the idea described in argument number 3. It was concluded that black students were not treated equally when trying to access university.
6. N: this statement does not support any of the confronted positions, it simply explains how decision-making processes work in the US educational system.