The Brown Decision

The Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 was a landmark Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The Court found that separating students based on race created a sense of inferiority and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This decision challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine established earlier, emphasizing that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. It was a major step toward ending racial segregation and promoting equal rights in education, inspiring further civil rights advances across the United States.