'We Always Tell Our Children They are Americans': Mendez V. Westminster and the Beginning of the End of School Segregation

Journal of Supreme Court History, 2014

22 Pages Posted: 24 Feb 2016

See all articles by Philippa Strum

Philippa Strum

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Date Written: May 3, 2014

Abstract

Mendez v. Westminster, decided in 1946, was the first case in which a federal court declared "separate but equal" to be unequal. Although the NAACP was not involved at the trial level, the brief it submitted on appeal became its practice brief for Brown v. Board of Education. The case led to integration of Mexican-American children in schools throughout California and the southwest.

Keywords: school desegregation, Mexican-Americans, integration, NAACP, Brown v. Board of Education

JEL Classification: Z00

Suggested Citation

Strum, Philippa, 'We Always Tell Our Children They are Americans': Mendez V. Westminster and the Beginning of the End of School Segregation (May 3, 2014). Journal of Supreme Court History, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2736427

Philippa Strum (Contact Author)

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ( email )

One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004-3027
United States

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