Thurgood marshall parents

See the fact file below for more information on Thurgood Marshall or alternatively, you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Early Life

• Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of William Marshall, a railroad porter, and Norma Marshall, a kindergarten teacher. His grandfather was a slave who escaped the South during the Civil War.
• Young Thurgood attended Baltimore’s Colored High and Training School. He was a bright student with skills in debating. In 1926, he enrolled at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he p
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  Thurgood Marshall

  Who was Thurgood Marshall?

  In 1954 Thurgood Marshall gained national acclaim when he won the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education. Subsequently, he became the first African American to become a Supreme Court Justice. Marshall was born in Baltimore and began his legal career as a young civil rights attorney in the City. Read more about Thurgood Marshall from Thurgood Marshall College.

  What is a Primary Source?

  Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based. They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation. 

  The Maryland State Library Resource Center has a large collection of primary source materials available, including in the African American Department:

  • Vertical file which contains articles from local newspapers, book excerpts, brochures, letters, obituaries, pamphlets, playbills, and political campaign leaflets.
  • Ephemera Collection includes flyers, booklets, church histories, newsletters, posters, programs, pamphlets, and other related items.
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