Which court case ruled segregation illegal in public schools?

Which court case ruled segregation illegal in public schools?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education
• B. Plessy v. Ferguson
• C. Roe v. Wade
• D. Dred Scott v. Sandford

Answer: (A)

This question tests how the Supreme Court changed the legality of racial segregation in schools by overturning earlier precedent. Brown v. Board of Education ruled that state laws establishing separate public schools for Black and white students are unconstitutional because separation in education is inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This 1954 decision began the process of desegregating public schools nationwide, signaling that "separate" facilities cannot be equal in practice. By contrast, Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the idea of “separate but equal” before Brown, Roe v. Wade concerns abortion rights, and Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery before the Civil War.

This question tests how the Supreme Court changed the legality of racial segregation in schools by overturning earlier precedent. Brown v. Board of Education ruled that state laws establishing separate public schools for Black and white students are unconstitutional because separation in education is inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This 1954 decision began the process of desegregating public schools nationwide, signaling that "separate" facilities cannot be equal in practice. By contrast, Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the idea of “separate but equal” before Brown, Roe v. Wade concerns abortion rights, and Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery before the Civil War.