The case between Brown and the Board of Education (Brown v. Board of Education 1954) is usually considered a landmark ruling in the United States since the Supreme Court declared the law allowing separate schools for blacks unconstitutional. In a previous ruling involving Plessy and Ferguson (Plessy v. Ferguson 1896), the court ruled in favored the idea of establishing separate schools for blacks.
In fact, the ruling made segregation constitutional since it encouraged state-sponsored discrimination of one race in the education system. The court ruled that separate schools for whites and blacks amounted to the violation of Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case was filed in 1951, together with four others following heightened racial discrimination in the country.
Discrimination had affected the education of the poor children, as suggested by the doll test studies. The case was meant to compel the education board of the city of Topeka to allow black children to mingle with their friends from the other races. Parents wanted the board of education to ensure racial segregation policy was reversed to allow their children to access quality education in various schools reserved for the whites only.
The board of education operated separate schools under the 1879 law allowing various jurisdictions to retain separate elementary school amenities for black and white apprentices in twelve communities with residents over fifteen thousand. NAACP played a major role in sensitizing parents to fight for the rights of their children in various places. Parents had tried severally to enroll their children in the nearest school, but their efforts were in futility since they were referred to the segregated schools.
The court heard the case in 1953, but it had to rehear it the same year for further analysis. The court wanted to establish whether the tenets of the Fourteenth Amendment had been violated given the fact that each person had a constitutional right to associate with anyone.
In the case, two facts were eminent, one of them being a unanimous decision. Some analysts were of the view that the court could not come up with a single decision that would determine the outcome of the case. The second fact is that the jury who was not expected to attend the hearing appeared meaning that the case was critical to the history of the United States.
Justice Robert Jackson was suffering from heart attack. He was not expected to oversee the court proceedings, but he surprised many when he turned up. Segregation affected the blacks psychologically and socially since it gave undue advantage to other races. The judges concluded that the doctrine of separate was illegitimate and hence the existence of separate schools was unconstitutional.
The case affected the lives of Americans in a number of ways, both socio-politically and economically. In Topeka city, middle schools were integrated since 1941. Students from all races could interact through sports and other extra-curricular activities, such as dance. Segregated schools were only allowed at a junior level.
The political climate in the country changed, particularly in Topeka because the ruling affected the outcome of elections. Segregation was abolished in a number of districts, which paved way for peaceful existence among members of various races. The ruling had a social implication since not every person accepted the outcome. In Virginia, Senator Harry Byrd mobilized the masses to demand for the closure of schools instead of desegregating them.
In Texas, the Attorney General came up with the law that would make it difficult to implement desegregation. Politically, the ruling encouraged various civil rights groups to demand for equal representation in other sectors, especially the labor sector whereby blacks and other minority races had been neglected. Feminism reemerged just after the ruling because the rights of women had been denied for years.
It is concluded that the case was very important in the American history since it allowed all races to enjoy their rights in society. Previously, the white race was regarded as the superior race, which meant that it would occupy positions of influence. The black race was given a raw deal since the type of education provided to it was basic, which would allow its members to acquire survival skills.
Public Policy Formation
Public policy refers to the views of the government officials meant to resolve a certain issue in society. In this regard, public policy officials employ specific tools in generating policies. Any government has a role of ensuring that problems affecting its people are addressed. These problems cannot be tackled without designing proper policies.
The first process in policy formulation is recognition of the problem or the need. In any human society, a problem would always exist hence it is the role of policy makers to ensure that they identify this problem. The problem or an issue can perhaps originate from any source, including external lobbying, corporate sponsors, and internal reviews (Gerston 88).
The government would then take up the matter through its political figures, such as governors, members of the national assembly, and senators. Respective institution of government sets out to advertise the issue and goes ahead to draft proposals and resolutions meant to address the issue. In each respective institution, the proposal or a resolution would go through a thorough vetting process, just the way a law is discussed in the floor of the house.
Depending on the issue, appointed or elected government officials would review the matter and if necessary, vote to move it to the next level. This would also depend on the structure of the governmental institution. If the proposal is rejected through voting, it is taken back to the source for further analysis and if it were approved, the policy would be implemented.
During the implementation stage, a policy is usually reviewed further to ensure that it realizes its objectives. Some policies would be drafted appropriately, but they cannot be implemented in a manner that would benefit the affected. In this regard, some review is undertaken to align it to the objectives of the affected.
In any case, the issue of finances usually affects the policy meaning that availability of adequate finances influences policy implementation. A policy that does not convene the interests of the majority is usually removed from the program while the one that does not adhere to the provisions of the law is usually redrafted. The government of the day should always identify the solution to any problem through policy formulation.
The government is the only institution charged with policy formulation and establishment since it has people’s mandate. A policy can only be implemented in case adequate funding is provided. Therefore, all policies are usually directed to the government for implementation since it is in charge of public funds. In the United States, a policy goes through various stages before it is approved for implementation. The legislature is relied upon in terms of sanctioning the budget, which is critical as far as public spending is concerned.
The executive arm of government should always be given the role of drafting public policies since it controls public funds. Moreover, the executive is answerable to the parliament for any money spent on a policy. It is concluded that public policy formulation demands the coordination of various governmental institutions.
Works Cited
Gerston, Larry. Public Policy Making Process and Principles. Armonk: Sharpe, 1997. Print.