The general principle established with the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision in 1896 was that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the facilities and services provided for black and white people were equal. This decision supported the "separate but equal" doctrine, which allowed for segregation in public facilities and accommodations based on race. This principle was later overturned by the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which declared that separate facilities for black and white people were inherently unequal and unconstitutional.
