Leading figures in the American Culture in the 1950s

Significant U.S. Figures in the 1950s

There are a number of significant U.S. figures who played key roles in the 1950s. These leaders wanted to bring about a revolution in American culture to ensure that all Americans’ lives were made easier. Thurgood Marshall and William Hastie are among the politicians who admire their commitment to bringing in improvements in society. As he was named by President Roosevelt as the judge of the Virgin Islands Federal Court, the latter began to gain prominence. Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore and attended racially segregated high schools (McGuire 351-362). Marshall entered Howard University after he graduated from Lincoln University, where he received a degree in law. After being appointed by Roosevelt, Hastie served for two years and later opted to switch career to be the dean and a professor of law at the Howard University. Hastie was behind the racial integration of troops and aimed at promoting the equality for all. Hastie was so much against the Air Force having a different training facility for the African-American men. His ideas played a significant role in influencing the Navy in giving integrated units a trial. His great ideas won the hearts of many including President Harry Truman who appointed him as the governor of the Virgin Islands (McGuire 351-362).Truman later nominated him as the Judge of the Third United States Circuit Court of Appeals making Hastie occupy the highest seat held by a person of an African Origin. As Marshall was growing up in Baltimore, he experienced some scenarios of racial discrimination, something that triggered his interests in the field of civil rights. The two leaders wished to change their experiences in life through restructuring the society when the equality for all was guaranteed.

Morgan v. Virginia

The two leaders were like-minded, and they played a major role in the Morgan v. Virginia which was a popular case in the United States’ Supreme Court. They teamed up with Spottswood Robinson who was Morgan’s Lawyer. The three came up with a legal strategy which would further push for the equal protection and the due process which is guaranteed in the constitution. Morgan’s lawyer was using the commerce clause to argue for the case. After the ruling had been made, Thurgood Marshall and William Hastie took an appeal to the American Supreme Court challenging the Virginia Statute. The statute was after a segregation on the interstate carriers which burdened the interstate commerce. Hastie and Marshall pushed the Court to reverse the ruling made and ensure that the statute is invalidated. The argument was appealing to Justice Stanley Reed and decided to strike down the law.

Brown v. Board

Marshall also played an integral part as a civil-rights lawyer who fought for the victory of the 1954 important case of Brown v. Board. The lawsuit had been filed on behalf of the black parents in Kansas who had their children forced to attend segregated schools (Saddler 41-55). The case remains one of the most important ones in the 20th century. Thurgood Marshall challenged the idea of Separate but equal which had roots in in the 1896 supreme court’s case of Plessy v. Ferguson. The Supreme Court, on May 17, 1954, made a unanimous ruling that the separate facilities for education were making people unequal (Saddler 48). For all these achievements in fighting against discrimination, Marshall and Hastie will remain important people in the history of the American judicial system.

Works Cited

McGuire, Phillip. “Judge Hastie, World War II, and Army Racism.” The Journal of Negro History 62.4 (1977): 351-362.
Saddler, Craig A. “The impact of Brown on African American students: A critical race theoretical perspective.” Educational Studies 37.1 (2005): 41-55.