Elizabeth's Blog

  On June 11, 1963, the governor of Alabama, George Wallace stood in front of the door of the Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In his attempt to stop the desegregation of schools, Wallace stood at the auditorium door to prevent two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood from entry. His actions were meant as a symbolic response to the desegregation of schools and to uphold his inaugural promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”   George Wallace was elected as a segregationist and made promises to block the desegregation of schools even physically if he had to. After the ruling of Brown v Board of education and academic integration started happening Wallace decided to symbolically back his inaugural promises. He believed that the constitution gave the states the authority over schools and universities, not the federal government.   Earlier that day on June 11 th,  1963 two st...

Today in class my peers presented their findings based on the position they took on the case Brown v. Board of education. Although we know how the court ruled in this case it was interesting listening to different arguments relating to this case. Each side took different stances in this case and presented arguments that strayed from the traditional arguments of this case.  One argument I found particularly interesting was the religious argument in favor of education segregation. Often times moderately to extreme religious people argue in favor of racial segregation. More moderate practitioners argue against cross-racial marriage and reproduction. But more extreme practitioners argue against mixing races in general. Therefore this argument is formed.  I found this argument quite intreating because I have seen religious people make this argument before. With biblical examples on the table, I just find it interesting that some people actually believe in this. Relating this to the...

The supreme court of the United States decided that the 14 th  amendment’s equal protection clause guaranteed African Americans equal protection under the law. But  in Plessy v Ferguson it was ruled  that the 14 th  amendment was responsible for the legal equality of African Americans, but not necessarily their social equality. It was decided that racial segregation was not a violation of African Americans' legal equality; segregation as long as each race is receiving equal and adequate facilities did not produce legal inferiority to either white or black people. Educational segregation does not violate the fourteenth amendment’s equal protection clause.  There are schools that are open for black children to attend. There are facilities where these children can learn. There are teachers and mentors who care for these children and want to provide a better future for them. This is not a legal restriction; it is a social norm. For six decades now, there have been s...

The case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) is one of the most famous landmark cases in United States history. The rule was a 7-1 vote (one justice did not participate) that ruled in favor of Ferguson or the state of Louisiana. The one judge who voted in favor of Homer Plessy was named Justice Harlans.  Justice Harlan's opinion is one of the most famous dissenting opinions in United States history. Along with his deception opinion in the civil rights cases of 1883, this opinion earned him the nickname "the great decenter". Justice Harlan's dissenting opinions paved the way for the supreme court to eventually overturn Plessy v. Ferguson in Brown v. Board of Education.  Justice Harlan's descent reiterated what was stated in the 13th amendment. He argued that the 13th amendment did more than abolish slavery. He argued that the 13th amendment also abolished the   “badges and incidents”  of slavery as well. He wrote that the 13th  amendment  ordered civil freedom in...