How did Brown v. Board of Education overturn Plessy v. Ferguson?
A.
The Court ruled that the Plessy ruling applied only to private schools.
B.
The Court ruled that separate white and black school systems were inherently unequal.
C.
The Court ruled that separate but equal school systems could continue if the states voted for it.
D.
The Court ruled that segregation could continue if there were an equal number of black and white schools.
I posted this a while ago and after doing some more research, I believe it is C. (If not, then D)
Please read this carefully. It will help you sort out your thoughts abour this question.
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483
The correct answer is B. The Court ruled that separate white and black school systems were inherently unequal.
The Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954 was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court that overturned the "separate but equal" precedent established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896. To understand how Brown v. Board of Education overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, it is important to know the background and details of the two cases.
In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court upheld the principle of "separate but equal," allowing for racial segregation in public facilities, including schools. This decision led to the establishment of separate schools for Black and White students, with the Black schools generally receiving fewer resources and inferior quality education compared to White schools.
Brown v. Board of Education challenged this precedent by arguing that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case specifically focused on public education in Topeka, Kansas, where Linda Brown, an African American student, was denied admission to the nearby all-White elementary school because of her race.
In its unanimous decision, the Supreme Court rejected the idea that separate educational facilities could ever be equal. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the Court's opinion that "in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
The Court's reasoning relied on social science evidence that demonstrated the psychological and educational harm caused by segregation. The decision marked a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and challenged the legality of all forms of state-sponsored segregation.
To arrive at the correct answer, B, it is important to understand the Court's ruling and the reasoning behind it. Answer A is incorrect as the ruling did not apply only to private schools. Answer C is incorrect as the Court explicitly rejected the notion that separate but equal school systems could continue even if the states voted for it. Answer D is incorrect as the Court did not suggest that segregation could continue if there were an equal number of black and white schools.