From the Grassroots to the Supreme Court: Brown v. Board of Education and American Democracy (Constitutional Conflicts)

Perhaps more than any other Supreme Court ruling, __Brown v. Board of Education__, the 1954 decision declaring the segregation of public schools unconstitutional, highlighted both the possibilities and the limitations of American democracy. This collection of sixteen original essays by historians and legal scholars takes the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of __Brown__ to reconsider the history and legacy of that landmark decision. __From the Grassroots to the Supreme Court__ juxtaposes oral histories and legal analysis to provide a nuanced look at how men and women understood __Brown__ and sought to make the decision meaningful in their own lives.The contributors illuminate the breadth of developments that led to __Brown__, from the parallel struggles for social justice among African Americans in the South and Mexican, Asian, and Native Americans in the West during the late nineteenth century to the political and legal strategies implemented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (naacp) in the twentieth century. Describing the decision’s impact on local communities, essayists explore the conflict among African Americans over the implementation of __Brown__ in Atlanta’s public schools as well as understandings of the ruling and its relevance among Puerto Rican migrants in New York City. Assessing the legacy of __Brown__ today, contributors analyze its influence on contemporary law, African American thought, and educational opportunities for minority children. Contributors Tomiko Brown-Nagin Davison M. Douglas Raymond Gavins Laurie B. Green Christina Greene Blair L. M. Kelley Michael J. Klarman Peter F. Lau Madeleine E. Lopez Waldo E. Martin Jr. Vicki L. Ruiz Christopher Schmidt Larissa M. Smith Patricia Sullivan Kara Miles Turner Mark V. Tushnet

Perhaps more than any other Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 decision declaring the segregation of public schools unconstitutional, highlighted both the possibilities and the limitations of American democracy. This collection of sixteen original essays by historians and legal scholars takes the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Brown to reconsider the history and legacy of that landmark decision. From the Grassroots to the Supreme Court juxtaposes oral histories and legal analysis to provide a nuanced look at how men and women understood Brown and sought to make the decision meaningful in their own lives.

The contributors illuminate the breadth of developments that led to Brown, from the parallel struggles for social justice among African Americans in the South and Mexican, Asian, and Native Americans in the West during the late nineteenth century to the political and legal strategies implemented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (naacp) in the twentieth century. Describing the decision’s impact on local communities, essayists explore the conflict among African Americans over the implementation of Brown in Atlanta’s public schools as well as understandings of the ruling and its relevance among Puerto Rican migrants in New York City. Assessing the legacy of Brown today, contributors analyze its influence on contemporary law, African American thought, and educational opportunities for minority children.

Contributors Tomiko Brown-Nagin Davison M. Douglas Raymond Gavins Laurie B. Green Christina Greene Blair L. M. Kelley Michael J. Klarman Peter F. Lau Madeleine E. Lopez Waldo E. Martin Jr.
Vicki L. Ruiz Christopher Schmidt Larissa M. Smith Patricia Sullivan Kara Miles Turner Mark V. Tushnet

Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I Historical Contexts: Views from the Grassroots Plessy and Early Challenges to the Doctrine of "Separate, but Equal" Tapestries of Resistance: Episodes of School Segregation and Desegregation in the Western United States Within the Shadow of Jim Crow: Black Struggles for Education and Liberation in North Carolina ‘‘Liberating Lifescripts’’: Prince Edward County, Virginia, and the Roots of "Brown v. Board of Education" From the Periphery to the Center: Clarendon County, South Carolina, "Brown", and the Struggle for Democracy and Equality in America Part II Advocates, Judges, and the Making of Brown A Civil Rights Vanguard: Black Attorneys and the NAACP in Virginia Prelude to Brown: Education and the Struggle for Racial Justice during the NAACP's Formative Decades, 1909-1934 J. Waties Waring and the Making of Liberal Jurisprudence in Postwar America Brown v. Board of Education: Law or Politics? Part III Historical Impact: Views from the Grassroots The Impact of Lawyer-Client Disengagement on the NAACP's Campaign to Implement "Brown v. Board of Education" in Atlanta ‘‘The New Negro Ain’t Scared No More!’’: Black Women's Activism in North Carolina and the Meaning of "Brown" The Rural-Urban Matrix in the 1950s South: Rethinking Racial Justice Struggles in Memphis New York, Puerto Ricans, and the Dilemmas of Integration Part IV Life, Law, and Culture in Post-Brown America ‘‘Stretching Out’’: Living and Remembering "Brown", 1945-1970 The Supreme Court’s Two Principles of Equality: From "Brown" to 2003 Brown v. Board of Education and Its Impact on Black Education in America Conclusion: Brown and Historical Memory Bibliography Notes on the Contributors Index