Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was born in Maryland in 1908. He became a famous lawyer who fought for the rights of Black Americans. Later, he became the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. He worked to make the law fair for all people.

Fighting in Court

Thurgood went to Howard University to study law. He became a lawyer for a group called the NAACP. He traveled the country and took on hard cases. He won a famous case called Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. This case made it against the law to keep Black kids and white kids in separate schools.

Supreme Court Judge

President Lyndon B. Johnson chose Thurgood for the Supreme Court in 1967. He served there for 24 years. He always spoke up for people who had been treated unfairly. His work changed America for the better.

Fun Facts

• His name at birth was Thoroughgood, but he shortened it in second grade.
• He won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court.
• As a boy, he was made to read the Constitution as a punishment and ended up loving it.

Did You Know?

Thurgood Marshall's great-grandfather was once a slave. Thurgood grew up to help end unfair laws from those times.