Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore to a railroad porter father who instilled in him a love of the Constitution. After being denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School because of his race, he graduated first in his class from Howard University School of Law.
As chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Marshall argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court and won 29 of them. His greatest victory came in 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court, making him the first African American to serve. For 24 years, he was a champion of individual rights, equal protection, and justice for the marginalized.
"In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."— Thurgood Marshall
Key Milestones
A Life in Firsts
In Their Words
Notable Quotes
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody bent down and helped us pick up our boots.
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
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