Read the excerpt and answer the question that follows. We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs __ are __ deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. -Chief Justice Earl Warren Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1954 Which previous Supreme Court decision protected the practice described in this excerpt? A Sweatt v. Painter B Hernandez v. Texas C Plessy v. Ferguson D Wisconsin v. Yoder

## Step 1<br />The problem is asking us to identify the Supreme Court decision that protected the practice of "separate but equal" education, which is being challenged in the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. <br /><br />## Step 2<br />The doctrine of "separate but equal" was established in the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. This doctrine stated that as long as the separate facilities for the different races were equal, segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education is overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, stating that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."