Brown V.

Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement by Michael Klarman

Michael Klarman's Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement offers a strong critique of

the impact of the court’s decision on the civil rights movement in the United States. Brown v. Board of

Education is one of the most important decisions in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court which ruling

influenced the path of America's racial transformation and social reform. Brown is often portrayed as

the origin of the modern civil rights movement. This book seeks to offer a richer, more different

understanding of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown as it situates the decision within the social and

political context of World War II, which had a transformative impact on American race relations.

There has been a long-standing trend to view the Brown as the start of the contemporary civil rights

movement. Nothing could be further from the truth, in Klarman's opinion. In 1954, the Supreme Court

was able to decisively overturn public school segregation because there had previously been significant

changes in racial attitudes and behavior. The judges who resolved the case acknowledged this, reflecting

on the remarkable developments, significant transformations, and continuous advancements in race

relations. Brown, according to the author, would not have been decided as it was if such developments

had not occurred.