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Shelly v. Kramer

 

             Kramer outlawed restrictive covenants in housing. This Supreme Court case involved the Shelleys, a black family searching for answers in a land full on discrimination and hate. They reportedly purchased a home that was a subject to a racially restrictive covenant. Persons of African and Asian descent were barred from occupying the property. As a result, a neighbor sued to enforced the covenant against the Shelleys. The Supreme Court ruled that racially restrictive agreements alone are not unconstitutional because there has been no discriminatory state action. However, the state would take extreme force if a court orders the enforcement of such an agreement. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, such a court order is unconstitutional. The result of Shelley v. Kramer opened the nation's homes to all races.
             In my opinion, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was one of the greatest challenges of all time. First, Plessy v . Ferguson did nothing but make matters worse in segregated schools across the country. The "separate but equal" clause was never challenged or put into prospective until the Brown case came along. In order to gain equal educational opportunities for their children, a group of thirteen parents filed a class action suit against the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled a unanimous decision that the "separate but equal" clause was unconstitutional. Not only did the clause violate the children's 14 Amendment rights, but it also eliminated the atrocious idea of separating them solely on the classification on the color of their skin.
             In 1946, Heman Marion Sweatt applied for admission to the University of Texas at Austin's School of Law. His application was rejected because of the fact that he was African American. Also, it did not help that UT was a segregated institution. Along with the aid of the NAACP, Sweatt sued against the university.


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