Essay Sample about Brown v. Board of Education

The Brown vs. Board of Education is considered to be a historically landmark case that dealt with the concept of desegregation in school communities between White and African American students. This case historically ruled that the segregation of White students and students of other ethnicities (mostly African American) was deemed to be unconstitutional. Along with this form of segregation being unaccepted under the law, it was thought this division in, “educational facilities [is] inherently unequal,”. However, this case did not come to be by itself, rather it was molded by several other important historical factors and events, some of which include World War II and the beginning of the Civil Rights Era, which is thought to have been rooted from the Brown vs Board of Education case.

World War II, an international and global war that took place from 1939 to 1945 is considered to be the, “the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries,”(75th World War Commemoration). During World War II, America needed as many citizens as possible to represent America and partake within the war. Thus the Double V Campaign was developed. This campaign was formulated and launched by the Pittsburgh Courier, a prominent African American newspaper, which advocated victory for African Americans who were at war overseas and those who remained within the country. This newspaper greatly reflected upon African American citizens at the time and promoted democracy while also allowing them to strive for a greater future for themselves in America, as millions of African American individuals were sacrificing their country for the sake of the war. As mentioned within the lecture video, “World War II brought voices together…The Double V Campaign was a national campaign, a national effort at communication really to make a very powerful argument, and a argument that was undeniable, and it was that African Americans in particular were seeking two things; by their service in the military and by their efforts to serve in the American war industry….African Americans were clearly demonstrating their efforts to defeat facism, to achieve victory over facism, which is one of the V’s in the Double V Campaign, the second V is victory at home as well for primarily for African Americans, but victory over discrimination, segregation and injustice at home,”((Civil Rights - Part 2 - Part 1 (Slides 1-5).mov). In response to the rapid growth of the Double V Campaign, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1941 emanated the Executive Order 8802, which banned, “discriminatory employment practices by Federal agencies and all unions and companies engaged in war-related work,”(National Archives). In the midst of World War II, and after the issuing of the Executive order by FDR, companies, industries and other workforces began to slowly incorporate African American citizens into their employment. This can be considered as one of the earliest starts of a possible inclusive and equal society of African Americans and White Americans citizens. This initial step in the history of African American and White American relationships would be one of the pillars that the Brown vs. The Board of Education would be founded upon, influencing the context of the case and most importantly the outcome.

Similarly to the Executive Order 8802, which was issued and signed by the FDR Administration, other executive orders were also signed during Post-World War II as a way to provide equal rights and benefits to African American soldiers within the military, as there was a pressure for the U.S to continue to progress. During Post-World War II, “the pressure continued, as the voices that were arguing for better treatment at home, the voices did not diminish because the soldiers that returned from war, as they did in World War I, Black soldiers returning from World War II [ felt as if they were treated somewhat better in European countries thus], with an experience that was much more eye-opening for black soldiers [thus] fueling the conversation back at home about the change that everyone wanted to see,”((Civil Rights - Part 2 - Part 1 (Slides 1-5).mov). Upon their return back home, African American soldiers and the African American community were convinced more than ever about the improvement they wanted to see, regarding multiple factors including employment, treatment and education. After FDR’s death, Harry S. Truman assenceded to the position of President and signed the Executive order 9981, which, “was the executive order to desegregate the United States armed forces and shortly thereafter was the Executive order 10590, which was an executive order to desegregate the employment in the federal government,”((Civil Rights - Part 2 - Part 1 (Slides 1-5).mov). Essentially, the steps that were taken during Post-World War II to ensure equitable treatment to African American citizens and army personnel formulated the backbone of the future Brown vs. Board of Education.

In addition to the impression that World War II and Post World War II had on the future of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Cold War was just as relevant. The Cold War was a time of geopolitical unease as there was a thick layer of conflict between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The Brown vs Board of Education was recognized as a Cold War case and it held much importance, as the Soviet Union would retort of America’s discrimination of African American’s in the USA, when America “supposedly” slandered them for their problems, thus attempting to call American people hypocrites. Just as the Soviet Union had full control of their people; restricting citizens from discussion and criticism of their political regime, persecuting certain ethnic groups and using mass surveillance to monitor the people, the Brown vs. The Board of Education case had an equal weight, as the case was reflective of the injustices, persecution and abuse African Americans were facing at the hands of America, in a parallel manner. In attempts to combat integration between students in schools, an article, The Interest of the United States, was presented to the United States Justice Department, concentrating on how the integration of White American students and African American students in schools or in communities would negatively affect the United States during the fight with the Soviet Union. However, because the Supreme Court ruled that America had successful foreign policies in the campaign against the Soviet Union, the “hypocritical” statements mentioned by the Soviet political members would be altered and rather improve the representation of America, as mentioned previously. The Cold War, similarly to World War II and Post-World War II had a great influence on the Brown vs Board of Education, playing a prominent role in what would be the result of the case.

Conclusively, World War II, Post - World War II and Cold War all played an important role in the outcome of the Brown vs. The Board of Education Case, as each event progressed with African Americans being provided equal opportunities one step at a time. Without these events, the trial of the Brown vs. The Board of Education case would have resulted very differently. The various events that occurred during World War II, Post - World War II and Cold War all altered the mindset of the American people to a great amount, including recognizing African Americans, regardless of whether they were discriminated and mistreated, were intending to and did sacrifice their lives for this country. Allowing African Americans to be employed and work side by side with White Americans was a great representation of development within the country and again, was reflected upon the Brown vs. Board of Education when a decision was made. The Brown vs. Board of Education case is a representation of America’s policy and their capabilities, and it served as a representation of how well-developed America’s policies were for their citizens.