Delgado v. Bastrop ISD

Class Photo at a Mexican-American School Featuring Future President Lyndon B. Johnson

Era:

ERA 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970's)

Keywords:

Delgado v. Bastrop ISD Hispanic American History Segregation Desegregation Civil Rights Equal Protection Clause Fourteenth Amendment

Date Created:

Place Created: Bastrop County, Texas

Year Created: 1948

Historical Theme:

Civil Rights Citizenship Justice Race Diversity Reform Identity

Description: Delgado v. Bastrop Independent School District (1948) was a landmark federal court case in Texas that challenged the segregation of Mexican American students in public schools. Filed by Minerva Delgado and other parents with support from civil rights groups like LULAC and the American G.I. Forum, the case argued that placing Mexican American children in separate "Mexican schools" violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding the segregation unconstitutional since no state law authorized it. However, the court allowed temporary separation of first-grade students based on English language proficiency using standardized testing. The decision was a major step toward educational equality for Mexican Americans and laid the groundwork for future desegregation cases, including Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Categories of Documents:

Web Address:

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/delgado-v-bastrop-isd https://oyezoyezohyay.org/delgado-v-bastrop-1948-case-summary/

Bastrop County, Texas