Desegregating America's Schools

Education in the United States has not always been free and available to all. Even after the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments were passed, which guaranteed citizenship rights to all regardless of race, blacks and whites had separate schools and other public facilities.

Though the schools were supposed to be equal, they were not. Black schools were old, overcrowded, and ill equipped. Many people believed segregated schools were unfair, so they turned to the courts for help. After a large battle was won with Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in 1954, the struggle continued. As schools were mandated to integrate, students faced rioting. In some areas, they had to be escorted by armed guards. In cities that faced residential segregation, busing was required—but that solution also had its downside. This book tells the important story about struggle for school desegregation and the courageous people who made it possible.