Why did the desegregation of schools become a major problem in the USA in the 1950s?

The turning point came in the Second World War when black soldiers fought in Europe for freedom from Hitler. They were treated as equals by their European allies and realized how unfairly they were being treated at home. Many began to demand a ‘double victory’ – the achievement of liberty both at war and at home. They returned more confident and assertive and began to pressurize the government for more civil rights. This resulted in some reforms in voting and employment but many proposals were rejected by a white congress who feared the loss of support amongst white voters. Education remained segregated and became the major source of discontent amongst black Americans. White people were determined to keep the schools separate as they did not want black children to have a better education which would result in more blacks gaining better qualifications and therefore more competition. As black people became more and more aware of their situation they stepped up their campaign for integrated education.

The short term causes began with desegregation of education finally being achieved in legislation in 1954 when the NAACP took the Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case to the Supreme Court. The NAACP argued that 7 year old Linda Brown should be sent to her nearest school rather than the all black one several miles away. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NAACP and also stated that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Desegregation in schools then became law but though some states did so without difficulty, the majority of southern states ignored the ruling and violence broke out with black people being attacked and lynched. The government was hesitant in taking action as they did not want to lose the support of white voters, but had no choice but follow the Supreme Court’s rulings.

The major crisis which made desegregation of schools one of the most important issues came in 1957 when the previously all white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas was desegregated. 9 black students were enrolled but when term began on 3 September, Governor Faubus surrounded the school with the National Guard to prevent them from entering. The whole world watched to see if the government would act on the ruling. A court injunction was filed against Faubus and he was forced to remove the troops, leaving the coast clear for a mob of 1,000 people to gather. The mob prevented the students from remaining at the school and President Eisenhower had to forcibly intervene. He ordered 1,000 paratroopers and 10,000 National Guardsmen to Little Rock and the black students were escorted to school protected by the federal troops. The widespread media coverage meant Little Rock was the centre of national attention for the duration of the crisis. This event made clear just how difficult it was for schools to integrate and made clear that the government could only pass laws on desegregation, but segregation remained within the classroom as these legislations could not be enforced and laws were insufficient to change the minds of the majority of the white population. Faubus was even voted one of the top ten most admired men in the US, which further highlights the extent of racism in society and the challenges facing desegregation.

Therefore many events contributed to desegregation becoming a major problem. Education was the most contentious in the different areas of segregation as it was the key to changing the role of black people in society and the continuous build up of discontent led to the major crises in the 1950s. Desegregation was occurred but was by no means an easy process; instead it would be many years before it was really achieved both by law and within American society.