Biographical Research - Thurgood Marshall

Lifespan: July 2, 1908 - January 24, 1993 (84 years)

Early Family Background and Created Family Structure

● Born in Baltimore, Maryland
● His father(William) taught Thurgood the importance of rule of law
and the U.S. Constitution because Williams father was a slave
● Thurgood’s father was always challenging his logic, making him
give reasoning for all of his comments.
● He attended Henry Highland Garnet School for elementary
school
● For high school, he attended Frederick Douglass High School,
where he was placed in classes with all of the smart kids
○ Top third of his class
○ Graduated a year early
● Following high school, he went to Lincoln University
○ Suspended a couple times for hazing; didn’t take education
seriously
● 1929, married Vivian Burrey
● After graduating from Lincoln, he went on to receive his law
degree from Howard University School of Law
○ 1933, graduated first in his law class

Major Career/Professional Events and Accomplishments

● He started a private law practice in Baltimore after graduating
from law school
● 1936, Thurgood became part of the national staff of the NAACP
 ● In 1936, he won his first case, Murray v. Pearson
● The greatest achievement of his career was in 1954, this was the
Brown v. Board of Education, this case named Marshall as one
of the most successful lawyers.
● In 1967, he became the first African American associate justice
of the Supreme Court.
● While on the Supreme Court, he helped pass Roe v. Wade,
which guaranteed abortion rights.

Personal Life Themes/Belief

● His parents, both descendants of slaves, gave him an
appreciation for the United States Constitution.
● His father taught him to argue and challenge every point.
● He was part of a segregation protest at a local movie theater
when he was in college.
● Charles Hamilton Houston, the Dean of Howard University of
Law, was an influence on Thurgood’s thoughts on discrimination.
● In Murray vs. Pearson, he argued “Separate but equal” because
the state of Maryland did not have an equal law school for black
people.
● He argued against racial segregation in education in the Brown
v. Board of Education case.

Selected Quotations
● “The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain
compassion in times of crisis.”
● “When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose
his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his
intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange
 of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his
quest for self-realization concluded.”
● “Racism separates, but it never liberates. Hatred generates fear,
and fear once given a foothold; binds, consumes and imprisons.
Nothing is gained from prejudice. No one benefits from racism.”
● “History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times
of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to
endure.”
● “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay
ourselves the highest tribute.”
(​https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/331989.Thurgood_M
arshall​)

Awards and Recognition

● In 1930, he graduated cum laude from Lincoln University.
● In 1933, he graduated magna cum laude from Howard University
School of Law.
● In 1993, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
● In 1946, he received the Spingarn Medal.

Death and Aftermath

● He died of heart failure on January 24, 1993
● He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
● He left his second wife and two kids
● He left his papers to the Library of Congress.
● There are several memorials to him, including a statue at the
Maryland State House.
● University of Maryland School of Law opened a library in
Marshall’s name.
Lasting Impact and Contributions
● He had such a large impact that an award was named after him
Puerto Rico; it is given to the top civil rights student.
● He is best known for his work in racial inequality and segregation
with the case of Brown v. Board of Education.
● He was the first black U.S. Solicitor General and won 14 of 19
cases he argued against the U.S. Supreme Court.
● In 1967, he was appointed as the first black on the U.S.
Supreme Court.