Social Scientists for Social Justice : Making the Case Against Segregation

by Jackson, John P., Jr.

• ISBN13: 9780814742662
• ISBN10: 0814742661
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-12-01
• Publisher: New York University Press

Summary

In one of the twentieth century's landmark Supreme Court cases,Brown v. Board of Education, social scientists such as Kenneth Clark helped to convince the Supreme Court Justices of the debilitating psychological effects of racism and segregation. John P. Jackson, Jr., examines the well-known studies used in support ofBrown, such as Clark's famous "doll tests," as well as decades of research on race which lead up to the case. Jackson reveals the struggles of social scientists in their effort to impact American law and policy on race and poverty and demonstrates that without these scientists, who brought their talents to bear on the most pressing issues of the day, we wouldn't enjoy the legal protections against discrimination we may now take for granted. For anyone interested in the history and legacy ofBrown v. Board of Education, this is an essential book.

Author Biography

John P. Jackson, Jr., teaches in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction: Framing the Historical Problem	1	(16)
I Background
The Study of Race between the Wars	17	(26)
Effect of World War II on the Study of Racial Prejudice	43	(20)
II Forging the Alliance
The American Jewish Congress	63	(16)
Pre-Brown Litigation	79	(30)
III Brown Litigation
Recruiting Expert Witnesses	109	(16)
Testimony of the Experts	125	(28)
Supreme Court Hearings and Decision, Brown I	153	(29)
Supreme Court Hearings and Decision, Brown II	182	(17)
IV Dissolution
Committee of Social Science Consultants	199	(14)
Conclusion	213	(14)
Notes	227	(20)
Bibliography	247	(38)
Index	285	(6)
About the Author	291