Civil Rights Lawyer and Supreme Court Judge Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Lawyer and Supreme Court Judge

Childhood Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1908. He was a smart and curious boy. His father taught him how to argue a point in a debate. debate—a discussion in which many sides of an argument are presented Thurgood often argued with his teachers, which bothered them, so they would make him study the United States Constitution as punishment. The Constitution is the plan for the U.S. government. It is four pages long! Marshall’s knowledge of the Constitution helped him later in life when he became a lawyer.

Childhood cont. One of the most valuable lessons that Thurgood learned from his parents as a child was the importance of education. They also taught him to be proud to be an African American. His father taught Thurgood to treat everyone with respect and to respect himself. Thurgood learned that it was important to protect his rights and the rights of others. He would not let people call him or others names.

Childhood cont. When Thurgood finished high school in 1925, he went to college at Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania. It was the first university for African Americans in the United States. Thurgood enjoyed college! He studied to become a lawyer. At that time, there were very few African American lawyers. Some unfair rules made it hard for African Americans to go to law school.

Thurgood Marshall with other students at Lincoln University

Finding a Purpose When Thurgood was young, segregation was common in parts of the United States. Segregation means that African Americans were kept apart from other Americans in many public places, such as schools, restaurants, hotels, and theaters. One day when Thurgood went to the movies with his friends, he was not allowed to sit on the main floor because he was black. He began thinking hard about how to work for justice and end unfair treatment of African Americans. He decided to become a civil rights lawyer working to end segregation.

Finding a Purpose Thurgood graduated from Lincoln University in 1930. He attended law school at Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. He became the top student in his class. One of Thurgood’s teachers, Charles Hamilton Houston, noticed how smart and hardworking Thurgood was. Thurgood and Charles became good friends and eventually law partners.

Civil Rights Thurgood went to work as a lawyer for the NAACP in 1934. The NAACP works to protect civil rights. NAACP—National Association for the Advancement of Colored People In 1945, Thurgood and Charles represented Donald Murray, an African American who wanted to attend an all-white university (University of Maryland). The Supreme Court agreed with Thurgood and Charles and ordered the University of Maryland to let African Americans study there.

Civil Rights cont. Thurgood argued many other cases like Murray’s. They took some of these cases to the Supreme Court and won many times. Because of Thurgood’s success, the NAACP made him a chief lawyer in 1938.

Ending School Segregation Brown v. The Board of Education

A Supreme Court Judge In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson chose Thurgood Marshall to serve as a judge on the United States Supreme Court. President Johnson knew that Thurgood understood the Constitution better than most people. “I believe it is the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man, and the right place.” Thurgood Marshall became the first African American judge on the United States Supreme Court. Now, he had the power to make decisions about civil rights laws.

A Supreme Court Judge cont. Thurgood Marshall served on the Supreme Court for 24 years. On the court, he worked to protect the rights in the Constitution for all the people in the United States. Thurgood received many honors for his work for civil rights. A statue of Marshall stands in front of the federal building in his hometown of Baltimore. The United States Postal Service made a stamp to honor him.