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Thurgood Marshall: A Great African American Civil Rights Activist

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Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall was a great African American civil rights activist who changed lots of lives in the United States. As a passionate lawyer and prominent Supreme Court justice, he fought for civil rights and social justice in the courts and believed that racial integration is best for all schools. Thurgood Marshall was born a July 2nd, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the great-grandson of a slave who was born in the Republic of Congo. His father William Marshall who was a railroad porter and his mother ‘Norma, a teacher, instilled in him an appreciation for the United States constitution and the rule of law. His original name was Thoroughgood, but was eventually shortened to Thurgood …show more content…
He attended Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore and graduated a year early in 1925 with a B grade average. Subsequently, he went to Lincoln University which was the first degree granting historically black university in America. He intended on studying medicine and become a dentist, but he later studied Law. Among his classmate were: poet Langston Hughes and musician ‘Cab Calloway. He did not take studies seriously at first, but his marriage to Vivien Burey in September 1929 encouraged him to take his studies seriously and he graduated with honors’ Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a major in American literature and philosophy. Marshall was to study in the University of Maryland School of law, but he did not apply due to the segregation policy. He later attended Howard university school of law and he graduated first in his class in 1933. He eventually started a private law practice in Baltimore. At the age of 32, he won US Supreme Court case ‘chambers vs

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