Segregation versus IntegrationOne of the most important problems that the United States has faced for decades is the issue of racial segregation. In the post-civil rights era, there is a common tendency to assume that racism is no longer a pressing social concern in America due to the gradual erosion of whiteness. In the late 1800s and through much of the 1900s, segregation was a controversial and divisive issue throughout the country. This problem stems from the separation of African Americans and whites at a time when slavery was recently abolished and black people were still looked down upon. This was the era of repressive Jim Crow laws, where strict segregation was imposed and racial segregation was regulated. After the Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of racial segregation provided it was “separate but equal.” However, most of the facilities and services provided to African Americans were inferior and of lower quality than those provided to whites. This caused a massive outcry within the African American community, paving the way for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed to fight for civil rights African Americans. Although after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed all forms of discrimination and segregation, the topic of segregation and integration still remains a controversial debate in America. Three authors who have opposing ideas on this topic are Daniel T. Lichter, Michael S. Murray, and Danielle Holley-Walker. Daniel Lichter opposes the idea of ​​integration in his article “Integration or fragmentation? Racial diversity and the American future. It explains the third demographic T... middle of paper ......poor minority children will lead to the demise of society. These conflicting opinions on segregation from these three authors are why this topic remains controversial not only among schools, but within society as a whole..1, [email protected]. 2013. "Integration or fragmentation? Racial diversity and the American future. " Demography 50, No. 2: 359-391. Full Text in Social Sciences (HW Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2014). Holley-Walker, Danielle. 2012. "A NEW ERA FOR DESEGREGATION. " Georgia State University Law Review 28, No. 2: 423. Full-text research file provided by the publisher, EBSCOhost (accessed May 2, 2014). Merry, Michael S. 2012. "SEGREGATION AND CIVIC VIRTUE." "Educational Theory 62, No. 4: 465-486. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed May). 1, 2014).