Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy

Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in US History

By: James T. Patterson

Narrated by: Steve Anderson

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Many people were elated when Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in May 1954, the ruling that struck down state-sponsored racial segregation in America's public schools. Thurgood Marshall, chief attorney for the black families that launched the litigation, exclaimed later, "I was so happy, I was numb." The novelist Ralph Ellison wrote, "another battle of the Civil War has been won. The rest is up to us and I'm very glad. What a wonderful world of possibilities are unfolded for the children!"

Here, in a concise, compelling narrative, Bancroft Prize-winning historian James T. Patterson takes listeners through the dramatic case and its 50-year aftermath. A wide range of characters animates the story, from the little-known African-Americans who dared to challenge Jim Crow with lawsuits; to Thurgood Marshall, who later became a Justice himself; to Earl Warren, who shepherded a fractured Court to a unanimous decision. Others include segregationist politicians; Presidents Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon; and controversial Supreme Court justices, such as William Rehnquist and Clarence Thomas.

Most Americans still see Brown as a triumph - but was it? Patterson shrewdly explores the provocative questions that still swirl around the case. Could the Court - or President Eisenhower - have done more to ensure compliance with Brown? Did the decision touch off the modern civil rights movement? How useful are court-ordered busing and affirmative action against racial segregation? To what extent has racial mixing affected the academic achievement of black children? Where, indeed, do we go from here to realize the expectations of Marshall, Ellison, and others in 1954?

The Pivotal Moments in American History series seeks to unite the old and the new history, combining the insights and techniques of recent historiography with the power of traditional narrative.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2001 James T. Patterson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

The Fight Against Inequality

The context of Brown vs Board of Education and its legacy are well explained by James Patterson. The deep roots of racism in society cannot be simply overcame by a judicial decision, even by a Supreme Court one. The importance of the American Supreme Court decision though, most not be underestimated. The Court, overcoming an older precedent, opened the way for a more just society, one in with prejudices played a lesser role and new ways of social arrangements can be imagined. James Patterson told the history of Brown vs Board of Education, pointing the challenges faced by men and women that fought against racism and inequality.

Excellent

Superb survey on the passing and subsequent (SLOW) enactment of the “Brown v Board.” The author follows the story line right up to contemporary times following its profound streams of influence