Brown v. Board of Education
Definition
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional.
Analogy
Imagine a restaurant where people with blue eyes are served gourmet meals, while those with brown eyes get only bread and water. This is unfair, right? The Supreme Court thought so too when it came to education, ruling that separating students based on race was unjust.
Related terms
Segregation: The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.
Civil Rights Movement: A struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950s to late 1960s to achieve civil rights equal to those of whites, including equal opportunity in employment, housing, and education.
Equal Protection Clause: Part of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution providing that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction 'the equal protection of the laws.'
"Brown v. Board of Education" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (6)
AP US Government - 2.8 The Judicial Branch
AP US Government - 2.9 Legitimacy of the Judicial Branch
AP US Government - 2.10 The Court in Action
AP US Government - 2.14 Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable
AP US Government - 3.12 Balancing Minority and Majority Rights
AP US Government - 3.13 Affirmative Action
Practice Questions (5)
- Why is the Brown v. Board of Education case important?
- What landmark decision did Brown v. Board of Education make regarding public school segregation?
- What impact did Brown v. Board of Education have on the Civil Rights Movement?
- How does the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education illustrate the protection of minority rights?
- How might American society look if Brown v. Board of Education had upheld "separate but equal" doctrine?
Resources
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