“The Supreme Court's decision [on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas] is the greatest victory for black people since emancipation,” Harlem said. exclaimed Amsterdam News. “This will alleviate problems in many other areas.” The Chicago Defender added: “It signifies the beginning of the end of the dual society in American life and of the system…of segregation that sustains it.” » Oliver Brown, father of Linda Brown, decided that his third-grade daughter should not have to walk. a mile and a half through a railroad crossing just to get to the bus stop before he could even get to the segregated black school in his area. He tried to enroll her in a white public school just three blocks from their home, but she was denied enrollment because of her race. The Maroons felt this was a violation of their rights and took their case to court. This was not the first time black people had their constitutional rights violated. After the Civil War, laws were passed to maintain the separation of blacks and whites throughout the southern states, beginning with Jim Crow laws that officially separated whites from blacks. It wasn't until 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, that blacks began to consider equality as an option. Nothing changed in the world until 1954, when the historic decision of Brown v. Board of Education changed something. Until then, all stores, restaurants, schools and public places were considered "separate but equal" thanks to the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896. Many cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, were brought before the Supreme Court together in a class. sequence of actions. The world changed when nine justices ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. After the Civil War, white Southerners had to find ways to continue to feel superior to their former slaves. Anxious to regain power over former slaves, southerners created the Black Codes of 1865. These codes differed from state to state, but most provided similar restrictions. If blacks were unemployed, they could be arrested and charged with vagrancy. Southern whites believed that blacks should only work as farm laborers, so laws also limited their work hours, tasks, and behavior. Additionally, the codes prevented black people from growing their own crops. They were forbidden to enter......middle of paper......south. Thanks to the decision of nine Supreme Court justices, the term "separate but equal" was eliminated from schools and opened the door to the integration of restaurants and all public places.BibliographyAfrican-American History News Letter. “The black codes of 1865”. Internet. May 25, 2015. http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa121900a.htm. Beggs, Gordon. The American University Law Review. “New Expert Evidence in Federal Civil Rights Litigation.” » 1995. Brown V. School Board. “About the case.” BrownvBoard.org Web. May 25, 2015.www.brownvboard.orgPatterson, James T. Brown v. Board of Education, a civil rights milestone and its troubled legacy. Oxford University Press, New York 2001. Perry, Imani. v. Board of Education" The Washington Post. May 16, 2014. Web. May 25, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-brown-v-board-of-education/2014 /05/ 16/fd84b82c-dc3b-11e3-8009-71de85b9c527_story.htmlRobinson, Susan. “A Day in Black History: Plessy versus Ferguson.”. 2008