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The Principle Of Equality And The Constitutionality Of Separate Schools

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Charles Sumner fought the country’s first school integration case, “Sarah C. Roberts v. The City of Boston” in 1849. The court ruled that school segregation was neither irrational nor unlawful. The Massachusetts legislature later passed law prohibiting school segregation, in 1855.
Referring to the Constitution of Massachusetts, all men, without distinction of race or color, are equal before the law. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Sumner builds his argument around “Equality before the law” and against the constitutionality of separate schools.
Equality concerns are fundamental to our lives as human beings. Each human being has a natural engagement with what equality requires and a capacity to make arguments about seeming inequality of treatment. In the context of Sumner’s case, the principle of equality before the law- as opposed to what the principle requires- is beyond question. The principle of equality, and specifically equality before the law, provides an obvious element from which to reflect the treatment of people who come before the law. The law is not to make any distinction between rich or poor, race or religion, male or female. In the eyes of the law, all are equal. When placed on the court floor citizens should be looked at exactly the same; equivalent before the law and as humans entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. However, since law creates classes with special rights and

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