Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education |
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| Argued October 23, 1969 Decided October 29, 1969 |
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| Full case name | Beatrice Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education |
| Citations | 396 U.S. 19 (more)
90 S. Ct. 29; 24 L. Ed. 2d 19
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| Holding | |
| The still segregated southern schools must desegregate immediately. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Per curiam. | |
| Laws applied | |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | |
Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education was an important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969. In this case, the Court ordered that public schools in the American South must end racial segregation right away. This decision came after 15 years of delays. Many Southern school districts had not followed the Court's earlier ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). That ruling said that having separate schools for different races was against the law.
Contents
Why This Case Was Important
The "All Deliberate Speed" Problem
After the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court said schools should desegregate with "all deliberate speed." This meant they should integrate schools carefully, but also quickly. However, many Southern states used this phrase to delay integration for a very long time. Some even closed public schools instead of integrating them. For 15 years, many schools in the South remained segregated.
New Rules for Integration
In 1968, another Supreme Court case, Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, said that "freedom of choice" plans were not enough. These plans allowed students to choose which school to attend. But often, they did not truly end segregation. This set the stage for Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education.
The Case of Holmes County Schools
Beatrice Alexander's Lawsuit
Beatrice Alexander was a mother in Holmes County, Mississippi. She sued the school district because she felt they were not really trying to integrate their schools. She noticed that very few Black students were attending schools that were mostly White.
The Government's Role
In the summer of 1969, a federal appeals court asked the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) to create desegregation plans. These plans were for 33 school districts in Mississippi, including Holmes County. HEW was supposed to make sure these plans started at the beginning of the new school year. This was part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
However, at the last minute, both HEW and the Justice Department asked for more time. They wanted to delay the plans until December 1. They said starting the plans too soon would cause confusion. This was the first time the U.S. government had supported delaying desegregation in court. The appeals court allowed the delay.
Bringing the Case to the Supreme Court
Justice Hugo Black, a senior Supreme Court Justice, was concerned about this delay. He saw it as a political move. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund contacted Justice Black to challenge the delay. He encouraged them to bring the case to the Supreme Court quickly. This led to the case known as Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education.
The Supreme Court's Decision
What the Court Discussed
The main question was: How long could schools keep delaying desegregation? The orders from Brown I and Brown II had not been fully followed for over a decade. Schools often stayed segregated while legal appeals dragged on.
Lawyers for Beatrice Alexander asked the Court to order the original HEW plans to be put into action right away. They wanted the Court to make desegregation the main goal.
The Justices' Views
The new Chief Justice, Warren E. Burger, at first thought the delay might be reasonable. But Justice Hugo Black strongly disagreed. He believed any delay would just encourage more delays. He wanted a simple order saying schools must integrate immediately.
Other justices had different ideas. Some wanted a more practical approach. Justice Thurgood Marshall, the only African American justice, suggested a deadline of January, the start of the next school semester.
Eventually, the justices agreed on a few key points:
- They would overturn the appeals court's decision to allow a delay.
- The Court of Appeals would remain in charge of making sure schools integrated.
The Final Ruling
The Supreme Court's final decision was short and clear. It was a per curiam opinion, meaning it was from the Court as a whole, not written by one specific justice.
The Court stated: "The obligation of every school district is to terminate dual school systems at once and to operate now and hereafter only unitary schools."
This meant the old idea of "all deliberate speed" was no longer allowed. Schools had to integrate immediately.
What Happened Next
Political Reactions
The decision was announced on October 29, 1969. Some politicians, like Senator Strom Thurmond, criticized the ruling. Others, like Senator Ted Kennedy, were pleased. The decision surprised President Richard Nixon's administration, which had called those wanting immediate integration an "extreme group."
In Mississippi, Governor John Bell Williams suggested creating private school systems. Some people protested the decision. However, a group of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish religious leaders supported integration. Federal agents were sent to help with the change.
Effects in Holmes County
Even with the Supreme Court's strong order, integrating the Holmes County School District was difficult.
In 1968, there were 771 White students in the public school system. After desegregation began in 1969, the number of White students dropped to 228. By 1970, almost no White students were enrolled in public schools there. Most White students instead attended private schools, often called "segregation academies." Today, over 99% of students in Holmes County public schools are Black.
