Thurgood Marshall, whose grandfathers were both born slaves but became freemen, was the first African American U.S. Supreme Court justice. He was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, and his life spanned years during which segregation existed both in law and in practice. His formative experiences in Baltimore played an important role in his strong belief as an adult in the importance of the rule of law and the possibilities the U.S. Constitution held in advancing integration and protecting the rights of racial minorities. He did as much as perhaps any single American to create today’s postsegregation society.