Thurgood Marshall: His Speeches, Writings, Arguments, Opinions, and Reminiscences

Thurgood Marshall's impact on American race relations was greater than that of anyone else in the 20th century, for it was he who ended legal segregation in the United States. His victories as a lawyer for the NAACP broke the color line in housing, transportation, voting, and, temporarily at least, in schools, by overturning the longestablished "separate but equal" doctrine. But Marshall was attentive to all social inequalities, not just racial ones: no Supreme Court justice has ever more consistently supported freedom of expression, affirmative action, women's rights, abortion rights, and the right to consensual sex among adults; no justice has ever fought so hard against economic inequality, police brutality, and capital punishment.

Much has been written about Thurgood Marshall, but this is the first book to collect his own words. It includes, for the first time in print, his lengthy oral reminiscences; here are also briefs he filed as a lawyer, oral arguments for the landmark school desegregation cases, investigative reports on race riots and racism in the Army, speeches and articles outlining the history of civil rights and criticizing the actions of more conservative jurists, Supreme Court opinions now widely cited in constitutional law, and much more. This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in law, race relations, or American history.