AP GOV: BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954)

Name of the Case

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Constitutional Concept and Issue

14th amendment, specifically the equal protection clause

Other similar cases (or foundational documents) that relate to this case, and in what way?

Plessy v. Ferguson; both revolve around the 14th amendment (this case was the one that first established "separate but equal")

Holding Decision Explanation

The Supreme Court held that "separate but equal" facilities are inherently unequal and violate the protections of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court reasoned that the segregation of public education based on race instilled a sense of inferiority that had a hugely detrimental effect on the education and personal growth of African American children.

Facts of the Case

This case was the consolidation of cases arising in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington D.C. relating to the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. In each of the cases, African American students had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Ruling

Unanimous

Dissenting Opinion

n/a