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Correct Answer: plessy v. ferguson.
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*the case brown v. board of education, decided in 1954, is famous for overturning the precedent set by the 1896 supreme court case, plessy v. ferguson. plessy v. ferguson established the doctrine of “separate but equal,” which legitimized state laws establishing racial segregation in public facilities under the premise that the segregated facilities were to be equal in quality.
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*in plessy v. ferguson, the supreme court upheld a louisiana state law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. the court ruled that as long as the facilities provided to each race were equal, segregation did not violate the fourteenth amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law. this decision provided legal cover for the segregationist policies that spread through american society, prominently in public education systems as well as other public and private facilities.
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*however, by the mid-20th century, the tangible inequalities between segregated schools became more apparent and challenged. the naacp (national association for the advancement of colored people) played a pivotal role in fighting these inequalities, culminating in the landmark brown v. board of education decision. in brown, the supreme court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment because the separate facilities were inherently unequal, thereby overturning plessy v. ferguson. chief justice earl warren famously stated in the decision that "in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place," as segregated schools are "inherently unequal."
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*the brown decision did not just impact the education sector but also sparked a series of civil rights movements aimed at eliminating segregation and discrimination in all facets of society. it marked a significant turning point in american history, setting the stage for further civil rights advancements and legislative actions such as the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965.
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