Segregation

Timeline:

Segregation:

Racial Segregation: the action of separating people, historically on the basis of race and/or gender.
There are 2 types of segregation: De Jure Segregation and De Facto Segregation
De Jure: separation that is enforced by the law or government
De Facto: people that are segregated by fact rather than by law
Doctrine: a single important rule, a set of rules, a theory, or a principle that is widely followed in a field of law
Filibuster: use of extreme tactics to delay action, especially in a legislative body

Separate but Equal - 1896:

May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled “separate but equal” doctrine as law in the Plessy v. Ferguson case
Comes from the Court’s decision that argued separate but equal railroad cars from the Separate Car Act
Actual law was “equal but separate”
White and African Americans were equal at least as required by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
Ongoing until the Brown v. Board of Education case when the Supreme Court said that separate schools were “inherently unequal”

NAACP - 1909:

A Human Rights Group called National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Formed on February 12, 1909 in New York, NY
Mission: ensure the political, educational, equality of minority group citizens of States and eliminate race prejudice
Top priority: eradicating lynching but also waged legislative battles, gathered and published crucial statistics, organized mass protests, and produced artistic material
Accomplishments: ended segregation of armed forces in 1948, Civil Rights Act 1957, 1964, and 1968, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and outlawed segregation in public schools

Segregation in Public Schools is now Illegal - 1954:

Although the Supreme court agreed segregation was legal as long as it was “separate but equal” the schooling conditions for black people were still deemed unequal.

Lack of resources, unequal pay compared white counterparts, segregated schools located mainly in unsafe environments hard to access with public transportation, and overcrowded.
On May 17, 1954, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that segregation in school facilities was in violation of the 14th amendment.
The ruling, ending the five-year case of Oliver Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was a unanimous decision.

End of Segregation - 1964

President Lyndon Johnson signed the the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964
Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination in public places
Passing Civil Rights Act was difficult
House of Representatives bottled up the bill in the House Rules Committee
Senate attempted to talk the bill to death in a filibuster
Early 1964 House supporters overcame Rules Committee by threatening to send bill to the floor without their approval
Senate filibuster overcame through the floor leadership of Senator Hubert Humphrey, support from President Johnson, and the efforts of Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen, who convinced plenty Republicans to support bill

Connection to To Kill a Mockingbird

Racial Divisions:

Tom Robinson’s Trial:

Boo Radley’s Treatment:

White characters (Boo) were treated differently than black people, even if they did the same actions.
Locked up unlike black criminals who received the death penalty.
Emphasizes racial bias and unequal justice.