Roberts v. Boston, 59 Mass. (5 Cush.) 198 (1850), was a lawsuit seeking to end racial discrimination in Boston public schools. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of Boston, finding no constitutional basis for the suit. The case was later cited by the US Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the "separate but equal" standard.
The 2004 book, Sarah's Long Walk: The Free Blacks of Boston and How Their Struggle for Equality Changed America, co-authored by Stephen and Paul Kendrick, explores this case, along with its social and political context.
Read more about Roberts V. Boston: Overview
Famous quotes containing the words roberts and/or boston:
“The great God endows His children variously. To some he gives intellect—and they move the earth. To some he allots heart—and the beating pulse of humanity is theirs. But to some He gives only a soul, without intelligence—and these, who never grow up, but remain always His children, are God’s fools, kindly, elemental, simple, as if from His palette the Artist of all had taken one color instead of many.”
—Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958)
“The right of the police of Boston to affiliate has always been questioned, never granted, is now prohibited.... There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)