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"Any scheme that classifies people on the basis of race or color and withholds from one class benefits that are enjoyed by others is indefensible. As a lawyer, I spoke in defense of a law that permitted such a result."

This thoughtful and engaging memoir opens up a previously hidden side to what many consider the most important Supreme Court decision of the twentieth century. With quiet candor Paul Wilson reflects upon his role as the Kansas assistant attorney general assigned "to defend the indefensible"--the policy of "separate but equal" that was overturned on May 17, 1954, by Linda Brown's precedent-shattering suit.

The Brown decision ended legally sanctioned racial segregation in our nation's public schools, expanded the constitutional concepts of equal protection and due process of law, and in many ways launched the modern civil rights movement. Since that time, it has been cited by appellate courts in thousands of federal and state cases, analyzed in thousands of books and articles, and remains a cornerstone of law school education.

Wilson reminds us that Brown was not one case but four--including similar cases in South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware--and that it was only a quirk of fate that brought this young lawyer to center stage at the Supreme Court. But the Kansas case and his own role, he argues, were different from the others in significant ways. His recollections reveal why.

Recalling many events known only to Brown insiders, Wilson re-creates the world of 1950s Kansas, places the case in the context of those times and politics, provides important new information about the state's ambivalent defense, and then steps back to suggest some fundamental lessons about his experience, the evolution of race relations, and the lawyer's role in the judicial resolution of social conflict.

Throughout these reflections Wilson's voice shines through with sincerity, warmth, and genuine humility. Far from a self-serving apology by one of history's losers, his memoir reminds us once again that there are good people on every side of the issues that divide us and that truth and meaning are not the special preserve of history's winners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Fine Human Interest Story
Paul Wilson wrote a great human interest account of a fascinating point in time and a major turning point in our nation's cultural evolution from his unique front-line view.I disagree with the reviewer from New York.We didn't need Mr. Wilson to write a profound historic text.He gave us exactly what only he, and he alone in all the world, could offer - the memories and experiences of a humble and good-hearted man, an earnest and thoughtful lawyer, who found himself to be a major player in a great event.Mr. Wilson writes very well, both in his chosen words in his work and in his description to us, his readers, of his 15 minutes of fame.His book is a treasure.

More honest than profound
Wilson was the junior Kansas Assistant Attorney General who, largely through happenstance, wound up arguing Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court -- on what we would call the wrong side. Wilson admitsthat he was essentially along for the ride, but provides an honest accountof why he believed at the time that his position was correct: Kansas lawauthorized but did not require segregated schools, thus it allowed localschool boards to meet local needs.

This book adds little to the historyof this landmark case. Most of Wilson's history is covered in RichardKluger's Simple Justice, which is far more thorough. Much of Wilson's ownstory is of minor relevance -- filling out the paperwork to be admitted tothe Supreme Court bar, his train ride to Washington, how it felt to watchThurgood Marshall argue the case, etc. However, Wilson does provide somelocal details to round out the historical record, such as an account of howlocal Topeka politics almost caused Kansas to default before the SupremeCourt.

Wilson doesn't offer much reflection on the experience of being"wrong." Part of the reason is that Wilson's position was notbased on racial views, but on his support for local control over schools.He doesn't seem to appreciate how that support for localism, or federalism,could be used to advance malevolent ends (because, to be fair to Wilson, hethought Kansas schools offered equal facilities to blacks and whites).Because Wilson had little moral or personal investment in his position, hisloss does not have much of a sting to it. As a result, the book is more ofan ant's view of a battle between giants than an effort to confront theethical dilemma of being a lawyer who represents the "wrong"side. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Describes the path of grain from producer to consumer, circa 1948. ... Read more

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Before 1954, both law and custom mandated strict racial segregation throughout much of the nation. That began to change with Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark decision that overturned the pernicious "separate but equal" doctrine. In declaring that legally mandated school segregation was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court played a critical role in helping to dismantle America's own version of apartheid, Jim Crow.

This new study of Brown--the title for a group of cases drawn from Kansas, Virginia, South Carolina, Delaware, and the District of Columbia--offers an insightful and original overview designed expressly for students and general readers. It is concise, up-to-date, highly readable, and very teachable.

The authors, all recognized authorities on legal history and civil rights law, do an admirable job of examining the fight for legal equality in its broad cultural and historical context. They convincingly show that Brown cannot be understood apart from the history of caste and exclusion in American society. That history antedated the very founding of the country and was supported by the nation's highest institutions, including the Supreme Court whose decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) supported the notion of "separate but equal."

Their book traces the lengthy court litigations, highlighting the pivotal role of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and including incisive portraits of key players, including co-plaintiff Oliver Brown, newly appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren, NAACP lawyer and future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, and Justice Felix Frankfurter, who recognized the crucial importance of a unanimous court decision and helped produce it. The authors simply but powerfully narrate their story and show that Brown not only changed the national equation of race and caste--it also changed our view of the Court's role in American life.

As we prepare to commemorate the decision's fiftieth anniversary in May 2004, this book invites readers to appreciate the lasting importance of what was indisputably a landmark case.

This book is part of the Landmark Law Cases and American Society series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Court cases leading up to Brown v. Board of Education
Read this for graduate American history course.This book begins with a brief look at African-American history from slavery to Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow. This history is important to understanding the events that led up to the infamous Brown v. Board of Education case. The authors explain throughout the book not only what the black population endured but also how these events in our nation's history led those involved in the Brown case to feel they finally had a chance at achieving what they had been fighting for. Although this case is known for forever altering American race relations, there were other lesser known and often forgotten cases which paved the way for the Brown decision. Before Mr. Marshall took Harry Brigg's case, Sarah Roberts, Dred Scott, Adolfus Plessy, and Lloyd Gaines had already used the courts to address the issues of segregation and racial prejudices.

Brown dealt with a caste system that dated back to antebellum America. The caste system was developed when the Supreme Court played a significant role in disassembling federal protection for blacks and allowing a system of caste-like restrictions that were to be reestablished and strengthened after Reconstruction (6). Even though the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and allowed Negroes to declare their citizenship, it only heightened the investigation for ways to clearly characterize the inferior status for African Americans.

In 1846 a black printer, Benjamin Roberts, wanted to enroll his five year old daughter,Sarah, in the nearby primary school. However, she was cast out because the school closest closest to her home was an all white school. Benjamin Roberts was required to enroll his daughter in the primary school for colored children, which was farther away. Roberts chose to file suit against the city of Boston on behalf of his daughter (15). The case was tried in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and was presided overby Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw, who decided against Roberts,believing that the institution is unfair; however, he abandoned
the idea of instantaneous abolition anyway (16).

In 1857, the issue of Negro citizenship was under attack in the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford. It was obvious that the South was against the idea that blacks (free or otherwise) were citizens of the different states and of the United States. Dred Scott wanted the court to decide whether they were going to agree with the North or the South asto whether or not
blacks should be considered citizens. Unfortunately, Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney chose the southern view (22).

Before Brown v. Board of Education there was Jim Crow which developed a system of rigid separation between blacks and whites in regards to everything (Le. public restrooms, water fountains, separate seating on public accommodations, etc.) (28). This system became state-mandated segregation of which the highest court approved (29). At the same time the
Supreme Court handed down it decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).The Plessy case dealt with a gentleman, Adolphus Plessy, who was arrested on June 7, 1892 for attempting to ride in the first-class coach reserved for white passengers. He was told to move, but he refused and was arrested because of his one-eighth African ancestry (29). Plessy's attorney, Albion Tourgee, argued the same argument that Sumner and Morris argued for Sarah Roberts which was that the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibited forced segregation (31). Justice Henry Billings Brown discarded the claim that the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment prohibited segregation. He also rejected the argument that mandated segregation stigmatized blacks (31).

In the aftermath of Jim Crow and Plessy v. Ferguson the results of the two were essentially the same. The Courts permitted states to treat Afro-Americans separately as long as they received equal treatment (33). It was as if the United States overlooked the word If United" in our country's name. The courts decided the law of the land to allow two different races to be able to exist together while totally separate at the same time which is a complete paradox.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed. It was an interracial organization that wanted to challenge discrimination through campaigning for all rights of black people, specifically civil, economic and political rights. The NAACP would help those who had been discriminated against by taking on their case and having it tried in the courts. One example is the case of Lloyd Gaines. He was a graduate of lincoln University, Missouri's university for Negroes. He wanted to go to law school; however, the University of Missouri did not admit African Americans (63).Missouri law required Lincoln University to establish a law school if there was enough interest.- The state law also required that the state pay tuition for Missouri's black students enrolled in professional schools in neighboring states if lincoln University lacked the same program. Gaines brought suit which boiled down to the issue being the adequacy of the out-of state tuition scholarship. The Missouri Supreme Court found that the state's scholarship program satisfied the objections and there was adequate funding for the program (63). Gaines' case would continue on in the court system for quite a few years. While he waited, Gaines moved on with his life. He would work temporary jobs, receive a master's degree from the University of Michigan and move to Chicago. Then Gaines mysteriously disappeared. In 1939, his case ended because without him the NAACPcould not pursue the case any further (68).This case much like those before it would all playa monumental role in leading up to Brown v. Board of Education.

The Brown case originated in much the same way as the Roberts case. There were many plaintiffs in the case with the same complaint regarding the desegregation of schools. Once the case began there was no way of knowing the monumental proportions it would reach. Brown v. Board of Education was exceptional in explaining the history up to the case that ultimately
changed our nation's history forever. The authors went into great detail involving each justice, lawyer, and plaintiff dealing with the case.

It was, however, unfortunate that even after the Supreme Court ruled in Brown's favor that it took years to achieve integration in the school systems. The explanation of the relationship Brown had in regards to other racial issues was evaluated in brilliant fashion. The; book ends with a summary of how Brown impacted race relations and how America is still lacking in racial equality today.

My only criticism is that there are a few factual eras regarding the Governors name in Virginia, and some facts about school closings in Virginia.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I recommended this book for anyone interested in American history, civil rights era history.

Putting a landmark case in context
This book looks at the case of Brown vs. Board of Education that outlawed segregation in schools 50 years ago this month. The actual case only takes up several chapters in the middle of the book. What is important is that the book tries to put the case in terms of legal, and societal, context. Chapters leading up speak about the legal challenges to segregation that appeared in the 50 prior years since Plessy v. Ferguson enshrined the doctrine of "separate but equal" in our nation's laws. Because law is built upon precedence, these cases mark the stones on which the group of cases, eventually to be grouped under Brown, would stand. The authors take us inside the Supreme Court and helps analyze the decision making process, and examine the subsequent practices and pitfalls of the implementation of that decision. It is a case that even a half century later the repercussions are still felt in America.

This is not a scintillating read. The focus is on the law and the legal actions leading up to and after the decision. But it is an excellent book to put this event into legal context.

Good book, but does not focus on Brown v. Board of Education
When one sees the title "Brown v. Board of Education", it immediately stirs up notions of a Supreme Court case involving desegregation of public schools in America.Robert Cottol, Raymond Diamond, and Leland Ware have given us some of that feel, but not enough in this book.

The book, only 240+ pages to start with, does not even touch on the Brown case (or any of the six cases that collectively were referred to as "Brown") until page 119.The first half of the book is spent exploring the history of segregation in education and in America as a whole.I believe that this is an important topic, but not of enough importance to require half of a book that is supposed to be about this one Supreme Court case.

Aside from the fact that there is little in the book that deals with the case itself (besides the history of segregation in education, there is a substantial section of the book that deals with direct ramifications of ordered desegregation and the reactions of state and local governments to this order), the book is well written.I enjoyed reading the book, but I think that I would refer readers to a broader history of the Supreme Court and interventions in race relations, such as the new Klarman book "From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality" instead of this book.

If, however, one is looking for a consice book that does indeed provide the story of segregation in American education, including the historic decision in 1954 that abolished that segregation, this is a great book to read and understand. ... Read more

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Chapters: Topeka State Hospital, Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site, Cair Paravel-Latin School, Sumner Elementary School, Hayden High School (Topeka, Kansas), Topeka ... Read more

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Kapitel: Santa Fe Trail, Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site, Council Grove, Fort Leavenworth, Vertrag Von Medicine Lodge. Aus Wikipedia. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas (just north of the city of Leavenworth) in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S. Army post west of the Mississippi River, in operation for over 170 years. Fort Leavenworth has been historically known as the "Intellectual Center of the Army." During the country's westward expansion, Fort Leavenworth was a forward destination for thousands of soldiers, surveyors, immigrants, American Indians, preachers and settlers who passed through. The garrison supports the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) by managing and maintaining the home of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC). CAC's mission involves leader development, collective training, Army doctrine and battle command (current and future). Fort Leavenworth is home to the Military Corrections Complex, consisting of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, the Department of Defense's only maximum security prison, and the Midwest Regional Correctional Facility. In addition, the Fort Leavenworth Garrison supports numerous tenant organizations that directly and indirectly relate to the functions of the CAC, including the Command and General Staff College and the Foreign Military Studies Office. The fort occupies 5,600 acres (23 km²) and 7,000,000 ft² (650,000 m²) of space in 1,000 buildings and 1,500 quarters. The garrison commander is a colonel reporting via IMCOM West to the Installation Management Command. The fort claims to be the "intellectual center" of the Army because much of its mission involves training. It also has a major prison. Major tenants include: The fort is 10 miles north of the 18th century French Fort de Cavagnal, which was the furthest west fort in L...http://booksllc.net/?l=de ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Dictionary of American History, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 285 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Focuses on cultures and countries around the world, specifically what is and is not shared culturally by the people who live in a particular country. Entries contain descriptive summaries of the country in question, including demographic, historical, cultural, economic, religious, and political information. ... Read more

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In The Quest for Citizenship, Kim Cary Warren examines the formation of African American and Native American citizenship, belonging, and identity in the United States by comparing their educational experiences in Kansas between 1880 and 1935. Warren focuses her study on Kansas, thought by many to be the quintessential free state, not only because it was home to sizable populations of Indian groups and former slaves, but also because of its unique history of conflict over freedom during the antebellum period.

After the Civil War, white reformers opened segregated schools, ultimately reinforcing the very racial hierarchies that they claimed to challenge. To resist the effects of these reformers' actions, African Americans developed strategies that emphasized inclusion and integration, while autonomy and bicultural identities provided the focal point for Native Americans' understanding of what it meant to be an American. Warren argues that these approaches to defining American citizenship served as ideological precursors to the Indian rights and civil rights movements.

This comparative history of two nonwhite races provides a revealing analysis of the intersection of education, social control, and resistance, and the formation and meaning of identity for minority groups in America. ... Read more

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A close study of the educational experience for African Americans and Native Americans in Kansas
University of Kansas assistant professor of history Kim Cary Warren presents The Quest for Citizenship: African American and Native American Education in Kansas, 1880-1935, a close study of the educational experience for African Americans and Native Americans in Kansas during the close of the nineteenth and the first third of the twentieth centuries. Kansas has been chosen as a particular focus point partly because it was home to a significant population of Native Americans and former slaves, and partly because it was mired in the middle of the conflict over slavery prior to and during the Civil War. After the Civil War, white reformers created segregated schools that ultimately supported the status quo. The Quest for Citizenship reveals strategies developed by African Americans that encouraged inclusion and integration, while Native Americans adopted tactics that promoted autonomy and bicultural identity. Warren presents a convincing thesis that these efforts formed the parent ideology the civil rights and Indian rights movements. Also available in a hardcover edition, The Quest for Citizenship is a thoughtful examination of the educational, philosophical, and developmental history of nonwhite peoples in the United States, highly recommended as a worthy addition to college and public library American History shelves.
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Kapitel: Santa Fe Trail, Ozark-Plateau, Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site, State Parks in Kansas, Mushroom Rock State Park. Aus Wikipedia. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. First used in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. At first an international trade route between the United States and Mexico, it was the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. The route crossed Comancheria, the territory of the Comanches, who demanded compensation for granting rights-of-way. Americans routinely traded with the Comanche along the trail, sometimes finding the trade in Comancheria more profitable than that of Santa Fe. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing a vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path through the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway. The Trail was an important trade route, carrying manufactured products from the central plains of United States (present day Kansas City area) to the northeastern ranching and farming country of Mexico. Map of the Santa Fe Trail (in red) in 1845. A detailed present-day map is also available. Santa Fe Trail ruts at Fort UnionThe eastern end of the trail was in the central Missouri town of Franklin on the north bank of the Missouri River. The route across Missouri first used by Becknell followed portions of the existing Osage Trace an...http://booksllc.net/?l=de ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from District Administration, published by Professional Media Group LLC on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 4161 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Annual report on school spending: a school board in Kansas is hawking extra property on eBay while districts in Florida are pocketing extra cash from the lottery. Find out the creative measures states across the country are taking to find extra funding in the money.(Cover Story)
Author: Laura K. Dianis
Publication: District Administration (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Professional Media Group LLC
Volume: 40Issue: 1Page: 38(6)

Article Type: Cover Story

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Chapters: Fort Scott National Historic Site, Topeka State Hospital, Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site, Nicodemus National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Fort Scott National Historic Site -In 1842 Fort Scott, named after Winfield Scott, was established on the American frontier on the military road between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Gibson. It was established due to the rapid immigration of settlers from the Eastern United States out west. Fort Scott became one of a chain of forts intended to protect the new settlers from the Indians, and protect the Indians from the settlers. The United States government hopes of permanent Indian lands west of the Missouri River proved for naught, as settlers continued to encroach on the Indian settlements. Fort Scott's most active days were between 1842 and 1853. The Cherokees of Oklahoma were upset with the presence of Fort Wayne in their proximity. After some delay, it was decided that the soldiers of Fort Wayne would abandon that fort and instead build a new fort between Fort Leavenworth and where Fort Wayne stood. It was hoped it would placate the Cherokee and provide some defense against the rampaging Osages for white settlers and other Indians. On April 1, 1842, some soldiers of Fort Wayne left their fort and on April 22 arrived where Fort Scott would be built, in the Osage Cuestas section of modern-day Kansas. After haggling with the Cherokees to acquire the land, the rest of Fort Wayne's garrison left the fort on May 26 and arrived at the Fort Scott site on May 30. Unlike most forts for military use, the fort did not have defensive walls or structures when first built; the wide-open area and the available artillery made an enclosed f...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1026683 ... Read more