Thurgood Marshall: Revolutionizing the Concept of Precedence in the Supreme Court

 

Thurgood Marshall

was a pivotal figure in the American Civil Rights Movement and a giant in American legal history. 

Thurgood Marshall - Movie, Quotes & Facts
Key Facts about Thurgood Marshall: 
  • Occupation: Lawyer, Civil Rights Activist, and Supreme Court Justice.
  • Born: July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Died: January 24, 1993, in Bethesda, Maryland.
  • Best known for: Becoming the first African American Supreme Court Justice and for his groundbreaking work in dismantling racial segregation through legal challenges, particularly his victory in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
  • Early Life and Education: 
  • Marshall’s father emphasized the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs.
  • He attended Lincoln University and then Howard University School of Law after being denied entry to the University of Maryland Law School due to his race.
  • At Howard, Charles Hamilton Houston encouraged him to use the law for social change. 
Career with the NAACP: 
  • As chief counsel for the NAACP, Marshall led the legal fight against segregation.
  • He was instrumental in challenging the “separate but equal” doctrine, working to dismantle Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • He won several landmark Supreme Court cases, including Smith v. Allwright (ending the white primary), Shelley v. Kraemer (striking down racially restrictive housing covenants), and Sweatt v. Painter (challenging segregation in higher education). 
Brown v. Board of Education: 
  • Marshall’s major victory was Brown v. Board of Education (1954), arguing that segregated public schools violated the 14th Amendment.
  • The Supreme Court’s decision stated that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” a key step towards desegregation. 
Judicial Career: 
  • He was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Kennedy.
  • President Johnson appointed him Solicitor General and later nominated him to the Supreme Court.
  • Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967, serving until 1991.
  • As a Justice, he supported individual rights, expanded civil rights, and opposed the death penalty. 
Legacy: 
  • Thurgood Marshall is remembered as “Mr. Civil Rights”.
  • His work significantly shaped American legal and social progress. 

 

 

LINKS

 Bibliography 

Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/blinding-isaac-woodard-mr-civil-rights/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_2530289

https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a-fidelity-to-the-truth-chadwick-boseman-and-reginald-hudlin-on-marshall 

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2014/11/15/about-thurgood-marshall

“Thurgood Marshall Biography.” Thurgood Marshall Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/marshall.htm

“Brown v. Board of Education.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education

“NAACP Legal History.” NAACP. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-legal-history

“Thurgood Marshall.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall#cite_note-Hughey-7

Review Lawyer Thurgood Marshall Author(s): Mark Tushnet Source: Stanford Law Review, Vol. 44, A Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall (Summer,1992), pp. 1277-1299Published by: Stanford Law Review Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229060 .Accessed: 22/01/2014 10:11Your

Clarification: The Incomparable Thurgood Marshall: Two books capture the late justice’s sprit better than his legal philosophy, ABA Journal, Vol. 85, No. 3 (MARCH 1999) , p. 12, Published by: American Bar Association

http://www.jstor.org/stable/27840679

Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall, William H. Rehnquist. Stanford Law Review, Vol. 44, A Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall (Summer, 1992) , p. 1213, Published by: Stanford Law Review

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229049

Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Stanford Law Review, Vol. 44, A Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall (Summer, 1992) , pp. 1229-1230. Published by: Stanford Law Review

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229054

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html

http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/02/if-there-was-transparency-in-black.html

https://althistory.fandom.com/wiki/John_W._Marshall_(The_More_Things_Changed)

https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/john-marshall/ 

CORBIS

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Wikipedia·https://en.wikipedia.org
Thurgood Marshall – Wikipedia
American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991.
United States Courts (.gov)·https://www.uscourts.gov
Justice Thurgood Marshall Profile – Brown v. Board of …
As a lawyer and judge, Thurgood Marshall strived to protect the rights of all citizens. His legacy earned him the nickname “Mr. Civil Rights.”.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc.·https://tmcf.org
Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community, supporting students at …
Legal Defense Fund·https://www.naacpldf.org
Who Was Thurgood Marshall? – Legal Defense Fund
Thurgood Marshall was an influential leader of the civil rights movement whose tremendous legacy lives on in the pursuit of racial justice.
History.com·https://www.history.com
Thurgood Marshall confirmed as Supreme Court justice
On August 30, 1967, Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc.·https://tmcf.org
Scholarships | Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc.
We’re excited to share that we’ve awarded over $20M in scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year, supporting over 2,000 students in their educational …
Oyez·https://www.oyez.org
Thurgood Marshall | Oyez
Thurgood Marshall had a fresh, passionate voice and became a champion of civil rights, both on the bench and through almost 30 Supreme Court victories before …
NAACP·https://naacp.org
Thurgood Marshall – NAACP
Thurgood Marshall was a civil rights lawyer who used the courts to fight Jim Crow and dismantle segregation in the US.
Thurgood Marshall Academy·https://thurgoodmarshallacademy.org
Thurgood Marshall Academy
Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, …
Thurgood Marshall School of Law·https://www.tsulaw.edu
Welcome to Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston …
Thurgood Marshall School of Law. All Rights Reserved. 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004Ph: 713.313.4455 Fax: 713.313.1049

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia.

Here's a summary of his background and achievements:

Early Life and Family:
Born on November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.
His family has a strong musical background; his grandfather and father were founding members of the Shields Brothers Gospel Quartet of Ohio, and his mother was part of the Turner Gospel Singers.
He is a cousin of boxing promoter Don King.
Education:
Graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1970.
Holds both a BFA (1975) and MFA (1995) from Ohio University.

Career and Contributions
Theatre Professional:
Actor: Has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional productions. His television credits include The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and the ITV series Special Needs. He has also appeared in commercials and films.
Director and Stage Manager: Has extensive professional credits in these roles, including projects at Lincoln Center, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Negro Ensemble Company, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Assistant Director: Served as assistant to Lloyd Richards and assistant director for the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis's play A Last Dance With Sybil starring Ruby Dee and Earl Hyman.

Educator:
Professor: He is a Professor of Acting, Directing, Black Theatre, Black Studies, and Stage Management. He has taught at various institutions, including Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University (as artist-in-residence), and SUNY Potsdam.
Workshops and Programs: Conducted workshops for Joseph Papp's Playwriting in the Schools Program (PITS) at The Public Theatre for six seasons and represented the United States at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England, in 1988.
Artistic Activist and Historian:

Iforcolor.org: Creator and archivist for the Black History website Iforcolor.org, dedicated to preserving and sharing information about African Americans and artists of color. He also maintains the "Black Theatre/African American Voices" website on Facebook.
Project1VOICE Liaison: Serves as the Project1VOICE Liaison for the state of Ohio, directing "One Play One Day" events in Cleveland since 2011.

Awards and Recognition:
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors' Equity Association and Actors' Equity Foundation).
AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award: Received in 2017.
Tony Award Nominee: Nominated for the "Excellence in Theatre Education Award" in 2015 and 2017.
Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund: Received in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Outstanding Professor Awards: Has received two of these and three "Educational Program of the Year" awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
Dale Ricardo Shields is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black theatre history and culture.