Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH – SAMPLE

Assignment:

Must be one paragraph, covering:

1. You should start your intro paragraph with a good opening sentence to hook the reader (1 sentence).
2. Provide a brief overview of your chosen case (3-4 sentences).
3. Finally, the last few sentences should set up your thesis. 

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

As a non-white student, how would you feel, if only white kids were allowed to attend certain public schools? Sound far-fetched or outrageous? Well, this was the law in many states, up until Brown v. Board of Education (1954). In Brown, the United States Supreme court unanimously ruled that in public education, racial discrimination violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s “Equal Protection” clause. The court specifically rejected the legal doctrine of “separate but equal” established in Plessey v. Ferguson (1896), holding that “separate is inherently unequal.” I agree with this 9-0 holding, despite its limited application to public education; unfortunately, Brown didn’t apply to other public facilities. It stands to reason, that the purpose behind the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) was to require states to treat all citizens equally under the law. Clearly, this prohibits discrimination in and on all public facilities.