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Introduction
In Stephen M. Rice’s The Force of Logic he helps the reader understand what a
categorical syllogism is by stating a categorical syllogism, “is designed to reach an inference by
putting concepts into categories” (Rice, 2017). Given this information, after reading and
reviewing the Brown v. Board of Education case, the facts of the case become more clear in
order to determine a major and minor premise as well as a conclusion.
Identifying
In the case brief, it is observed that through legal representation the plaintiff which in this
case are Negro students, sought aid of the court system in order of obtaining admission to public
schools of their respected communities on a non segereated basis. This was sought after due to
the fact that Negro students were first denied admission to segregated public schools by the
district court system on the basis that the schools in which African American students attended
were substantially equal facilities. This decision was backed by the “separate but equal” clause
that is defined in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. The court system found that under that doctrine
no laws had been violated in regards to academic violation, therefore not ruling in favor of the
plaintiff.
This decision is what led to the plaintiff challenging the court's verdict in which an appeal
was filed which summarized that the segregation of African American and White students was
alleged to deprive the plaintiffs of equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment.
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This was done so due to the Fourteenth Amendment stating “No State shall make or enforce any
law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall
any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to
any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (14. Amendment of the
Constitutions, 2021.).
Therefore, since the plaintiffs are indeed United States citizens who are entitled to these
rights stated in the Fourteenth Amendment it is concluded that the plaintiffs were in fact
deprived of their natural born rights by allowing segregation to occur. Since the plaintiffs rights
were indeed violated, it is concluded that it would be unconstitutional to continue to deny
African American students admittance from certain academic institutions solely on the color of
their skin.
Premises’
With this overview of Brown v. Board of Education, the major as well as the minor
premise can be determined, as well as the conclusion. Major Premise: Separate but equal
educational facilities are permitted under the constitution but unequal facilities are not. Minor
Premise: Separate educational facilities for African American Children is inherently unequal.
Conclusion: A separate educational facility for African American Children is not permitted
under the constitution.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the premises in this case happen to appear in order from major to minor
and then the conclusion. As this is how they occurred in the case. The premises were concluded
by observing the facts and the order in which they occurred. Through observing this, it could be
easily discovered the basis and the order of the premises. In this specific case the conclusion of
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the district court did not follow logic. In contrast, the federal court decision did indeed follow
logical order. The logical order can be observed through the basis of what is stated in the
constitution, more specifically the Fourteenth Amendment. In light of the Amendment, it would
make logical sense that if African American students were being deprived of their natural born
rights, that the injustice of such would be overturned and the rights granted. Which in the case of
Brown v. Board of Education this was the final conclusion.
