Brown V. Board of Education (1954)

Brown v. Board of Education is a landmark case that created a new perception in
America about racial integration and education. The main syllogism, in this case, was the issue
of segregation of children in public schools based on their race. The issue was whether or not the
segregation of these children in public schools based on their race denied them the opportunity of
equal education even though all the other facilities in these schools were the same. The major
premise is based on the Plessy v. Ferguson case and the doctrine of separate but equal on
whether they should be applied in public schools. It also sought to answer whether racial
segregation deprived children of their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The minor
premise in the case of Brown v. The Board of Education is concerned with regards to the
importance of giving equal opportunities to children for them to have access to a good education
regardless of their skin color, race, or religion (“Brown v. Board of education (1954),” 2009).
Plessy v. Ferguson held that the equal protection clause was not violated by the segregation
based on race in educational facilities as long as there existed equal circumstances and facilities.
The case of Brown v. Board of education brought to an end the ongoing racial
segregation in schools. The Supreme Court made a unanimous decision in finding that
segregation was unconstitutional even if the segregated schools were operated under the same
standards (Legal Information Institute, 2020). States were ordered to stop the segregation with
immediate effect. The events that led to this case occurred in a public school in Kansas when the
school refused to admit Brown’s daughter to a school close to their home but instead, she was
admitted to a school that was far from their home. The family suffered similar circumstances to
other black families that wished to enroll their children in those schools, but they were denied.

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954)
They filed a lawsuit in a federal court against the Board of education, arguing that the
segregation laws were unconstitutional.
The doctrine of separate but equal and the case of Plessy v. Ferguson was overruled by
the Supreme Court. The court ruled that they were unconstitutional for both the public schools
and all educational facilities in America. Regarding syllogism, the court concluded that the
doctrine did not have a place in American public education. It held that segregation was actually
a violation of equal protection as provided in the Fourteenth Amendment. Having separate
education facilities because of race or color, or religion was found to be unequal. I identified the
major and minor premises by looking at the issue of the case, the provisions of the law on the
issues identified, how the law was applied, and the conclusion. All these were essential in
identifying the major premises, which is the doctrine of separate but equal and the case of Plessy
v. Ferguson. The case permitted segregation, and in Brown v. Board of education, it sought to
prove that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson found it not to
be unconstitutional.
In identifying the argument in the above-named case, the major premises appear after the
minor premises, and they are true hence the conclusion is also true. The court decision followed
a logical order and was not hasty. The decision was unanimous, following the provisions of the
law to rule against racial segregation.

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954)
References

Brown v. Board of education (1954). (2009). African American Studies Center.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.33621
Legal Information Institute. (2020). Brown v. Board of education (1954). LII / Legal Information
Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/brown_v_board_of_education_(1954)