African American Studies 100 Monday, October 29, 2018 Topic Charles Hamilton Houston; Thurgood Marshall; Montgomery Bus Boycott (Martin Luther King Jr.) Activities Charles Hamilton Houston went to Harvard Law School (after returning from World War I) - Felix Frankfurter was his professor / mentor o Frankfurter went on to become a Supreme Court Justice - Houston then went on to teach at Howard Law School o Later, his student at Howard, Thurgood Marshall, would go on to argue a landmark case (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954) before Felix Frankfurter (case brought by the NAACP—they would win the case). Marshall himself then became the first African American Supreme Court Justice (appointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson) Montgomery Bus Boycott - Started by Rosa Parks o Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat before Rosa Parks o But, because she didn’t fit the image, the movement opted to use Rosa Parks as the face of the struggle instead. Charles Hamilton Houston challenged the “Separate but Equal” concept of Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896 (decision in this case unjustly violated the right of equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment). - Court strategy: He asked the court to prove that the facilities that black people had were equal to those of white people (Case: Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 1938) The U.S. Civil War changed the position of the power of the court. - The importance of the supreme court as a federal institution was greatly enhanced. o Civil War elevated the power of the federal government in relations to the state o The state government must follow the ruling of the federal government - Even some of the justices on the court, at the beginning, didn’t want to reverse Plessy v. Ferguson; eventually, however, the decision was unanimous. o They realized this was a very controversial case so they decided to go with the majority Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president because of the assassination of JFK - Lyndon B. Johnson wants Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act but he’s dealing with a racist congress. He eventually succeeds (in part because of the Civil Rights Movement) in pushing Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act in 1964. - Johnson, a controversial president. - He sponsored the Great Society programs that aimed at eliminating inequality, racial injustice, and improving the environment. (Example of authentic democracy). - But he was also responsible for escalating the Vietnam War in which thousands upon thousands died. Concepts/Theories Conjuncture of Fortuitously Propitious Historical Factors (about historical coincidences--such as the connections between Houston, Frankfurter, and Marshall). See definition in the online course glossary. Examples Tests/Quizzes - Announcements will be posted about test next week. Homework See announcement on class home page; plus Thurgood Marshall’s Biography .