Answer: True.
Explanation:
Horace Mann (1796—1859) was the first notable American politician who advocated for a reform in education to achieve universal public education and provide training for teachers in normal schools. His work defending democratic, universal, nonsectarian, and free education, and his influence in reconstructing the public-education system gave him national recognition.
The President, however, can influence and shape legislation by a threat of a veto. By threatening a veto, the President can persuade legislators to alter the content of the bill to be more acceptable to the President. Congress can override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.
Strom Thurmond did not challenge the status quo.
Thurgood Marshall argued cases like <em>Brown v. The Board of Education </em>before the US Supreme Court, and later (in 1967) became a Supreme Court justice -- the first African-American justice to serve on the court.
As president, Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which abolished racial segregation in the US military.
Jackie Robinson was the first black player to play in Major League Baseball.
Strom Thurmond was a US Senator from South Carolina who sought to protect the status quo against the civil rights movement.