Question

The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education did not immediately end segregation in public schools because

Northern states refused to follow it.
the Supreme Court did not offer a new policy.
Southern states closed all their public schools.
the Supreme Court could not agree on a new policy.

Answer 1

The immediate impact of Brown v. Board of Education was limited by Southern states' resistance and a lack of federal enforcement, with a directive from the Supreme Court for desegregation to occur 'with all deliberate speed' being widely exploited as a means to delay compliance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education did not immediately end segregation in public schools primarily due to resistance from Southern states and an initially vague implementation directive from the Supreme Court. After the 1954 ruling which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional, the Supreme Court followed up with a second decision in 1955 known as Brown II. This decision mandated that desegregation proceed "with all deliberate speed," which was a phrase open to interpretation and subsequently exploited as a loophole for delay.

Many Southern states and local authorities resisted the change, some even closing public schools or using state and local laws to avoid compliance. There was also a lack of strong federal enforcement initially, with President Eisenhower expressing reluctance to intervene decisively in the matter. Over time, the federal government's role became crucial in enforcing desegregation through subsequent rulings, legislation, and presidential actions.

Answer 2

The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education did not immediately end segregation in public schools because the Supreme Court did not offer a new policy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka is a Supreme Court ruling, published on May 17, 1954. It declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

This ruling is undoubtedly the most important of the decisions of the Warren court. From a technical point of view, the Brown ruling was only applicable to the state's public education system; however the Bolling v. Sharpe ruling, less known and published the same day as Brown v. Board of Education, also extended the obligation to the federal government.

Despite the value of this ruling, the question of racial mixing in schools continued until the mid-1970s. The principle was established that the laws that imposed segregation had to disappear, as well as all policies designed to favor it, but once the laws were repealed and the policies replaced, there was still no effective action to remedy the effects of segregation itself.