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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by judicial intent,

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the Supreme Court's annual camping trip.

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All right, check out this excerpt.

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[ mumbles ]

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[ mumbling continues ] All right.

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And the question:

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The intent behind the Supreme Court's decision

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was primarily bolstered

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by what other developments in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s?

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And here are your potential answers. [ mumbles ]

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[ mumbling continues ] Hmm.

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All right. Well, we know that Brown v. Board of Education

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made the case against segregation in schools, but

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what else could've been behind it?

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Well, you know, other than it being the 100% right thing to do.

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So let's see which answer makes those intentions clear.

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Was the intent behind the Supreme Court's decision bolstered

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by A - increased support for civil rights in the South?

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Oh, man. Not in the least.

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Not only did the South not support civil rights,

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it actively worked against them.

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George Wallace, the governor of Alabama,

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gave a speech on his inauguration day that declared,

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"segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

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Tell us how you really feel, George.

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Actually, don't bother.

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Did the Supreme Court's decision emerge from

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C - a more unified philosophical and tactical agenda

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among civil rights activists?

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Well, actually, faced with the aggressive bigotry by

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people like Mr. Wallace here, civil rights activists

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began to disagree over the best tactical

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course to pursue in their fight to end discrimination.

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C would have been great, but it wasn't in the cards.

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Could the Supreme Court's judicial action have resulted from D -

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economic gains made by African Americans?

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Well, unfortunately, economic gains by African Americans

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did little to end formal segregation,

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since the racial and cultural prejudice against them

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stretched back centuries.

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Kind of hard to reason with hate and ignorance.

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So it's not D, either.

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Which means that the intent behind the Supreme Court's decision

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was primarily bolstered by B -

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executive and legislative measures

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aimed at ending racial discrimination.

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Civil rights activists weren't only fighting in the courts.

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They also pressured the executive and legal branches

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to take action against discrimination. And take action they did.

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In 1948, President Truman issued Executive

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Order 9981, abolishing racial discrimination in the military.

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And in 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act,

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which prohibited discrimination based on race,

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ended unequal voting registration practices,

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and stopped segregation in schools and public workplaces.

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So B is the correct answer. This triad of judicial decisions,

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executive orders, and legislation

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all aimed to end formal racial discrimination.

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Well, maybe the best things really do come in threes.

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[ thump ] [ yelp ]

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