Thurgood Marshall

From His Early Years to Brown

The date was May 17, 1954. One Supreme Court justice called it “a day that will live in glory.” Another hailed it as “a great day for America and the Court.” It was the day the nine justices handed Thurgood Marshall, chief legal counsel for the plaintiffs, a unanimous victory in Brown v. Board of Education, the historic ruling that outlawed racial segregation in public schools, and set America on track to fulfill the promise engraved above the entrance to the Supreme Court building: “Equal Justice Under Law.” Thurgood Marshall: From His Early Years to Brown is Part One of a two-volume biography based on the critically-acclaimed book Thurgood Marshall: Warrior at the Bar, Rebel on the Bench, by Hunter R. Clark and the late Michael D. Davis. It tells the story of Thurgood Marshall, the man who would one day become the first African American Supreme Court justice. Part One explores Marshall’s upbringing in Baltimore, through his coming of age under the tutelage of legendary Howard University law dean Charles Hamilton Houston. It follows Marshall and Houston on their harrowing journeys across the country as case-by-case they laid the groundwork, the chain of legal precedents, that paved the way for the ultimate victory in Brown. 
Written in plain language for a general audience, this book may be especially useful for teachers as they create writing assignments. For example, students will be able to compare Marshall’s education in Jim Crow Baltimore with their own experiences in the public and private schools. The authors make Thurgood Marshall someone the students can care about, rather than a distant historical figure.

Reviews from the original print edition of 1992:

“Michael D. Davis and Hunter R. Clark offer a masterfully written tale of an American legend.” — Gannett News Service

“Filled with the same fire, passion and humor that drove Marshall’s life, Thurgood Marshall is a revealing portrait of a pioneering lawyer.” —National Black Review

“Well-written, informative and lively.” —People

“This important work, ably chronicled by Davis and Clark, is impressive.
Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

“As a guide to the legal struggles of this American leader, this book is written clearly and with obvious affection and admiration for Marshall, and the law for which he fought.” —Booklist

“Michael Davis and Hunter Clark have crafted a thoughtful, carefully researched and focused biography.” —USA Today

“I highly recommend Thurgood Marshall by Mike Davis and Hunter Clark. This impressive book captures the sweeping drama and courageous struggles that have filled Thurgood Marshall’s life and career. The story of Justice Marshall is that of one of the greatest Americans in the twentieth century. Davis and Clark provide a compelling portrait of Marshall’s immense humanity and integrity in this fine biography.” —Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta.

“Thurgood Marshall is a giant of a man at a time when giants are scarce and desperately needed. This wonderful biography takes his measure.” —(Rev.) Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

“Michael B. Davis and Hunter R. Clark have written an interesting and informative biography of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall directed toward a general audience. The current work, with its fluid, readable style, reflects the authors’ backgrounds in the popular press, where both have published extensively.”--Mississippi Quarterly