How is Plassy v Ferguson related to Brown v Board of Education

Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education are two landmark Supreme Court cases in the United States that dealt with racial segregation, but they reached very different conclusions.<br /><br />1. **Plessy v. Ferguson (1896):**<br /> - This case upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Supreme Court ruled that as long as the separate facilities for black and white people were equal, segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.<br /> - This decision provided legal justification for segregation and led to the proliferation of Jim Crow laws across the South, enforcing racial segregation in public facilities.<br /><br />2. **Brown v. Board of Education (1954):**<br /> - This case challenged the legality of racial segregation in public schools. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," effectively overturning Plessy v. Ferguson in the context of public education.<br /> - The Brown decision was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement, as it declared that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.<br /><br />**Relationship:**<br />- Brown v. Board of Education directly challenged the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson. While Plessy established the "separate but equal" doctrine, Brown dismantled it by demonstrating that segregation in public education created inherent inequalities.<br />- Brown v. Board of Education marked a significant shift in the legal landscape regarding civil rights and laid the groundwork for further efforts to end segregation and discrimination in other areas of society.