Chapter 3: The Three Kings: Dissent and Evolving Perceptions of Heroism

In the twentieth century, the United States took significant strides toward social change, especially toward racial justice. Several events near mid-century represented giant steps in that direction. In 1947, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the color line in major league baseball. The next year, President Harry S. Truman ordered the desegregation of American armed forces. Most significant perhaps was the unanimous Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954. The justices ruled that segregated schools were inherently unequal, and struck down the “separate but equal” Supreme Court decision of 1896. The year 1954 also saw several other breakthrough milestones: the launching of the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus; a vaccine against polio; the rock ‘n’ roll hit Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and his Comets; and in sports, Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier. It was a time of significant change – socially, culturally, and scientifically.