What landmark decision did Brown v. Board of Education establish?

The landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education fundamentally established that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This was a pivotal case in the civil rights movement and marked a significant turning point in American legal history. The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" educational facilities for racial minorities and whites were inherently unequal and, therefore, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This case directly confronted the legality of segregation established by the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which had upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.

The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education not only affected education but also laid the groundwork for future challenges to segregation and discrimination, influencing various civil rights initiatives across the United States. It symbolized a rejection of the legal justification for segregation and rallied civil rights activists to push for broader social and legislative reforms to dismantle systemic racism.