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, effectively ending racial segregation in public schools.
Analogy
Imagine a restaurant where people are separated based on their hair color - blondes sit on one side, brunettes on the other. One day, the highest court in town rules this separation unfair and orders all restaurants to mix seating. This is similar to what happened with Brown v. Board of Education but with race in schools.
Related terms
Segregation: The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.
Plessy v. Ferguson: An 1896 U.S Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.
14th Amendment: An amendment to the U.S Constitution adopted in 1868 that guarantees equal protection under the law.
"Brown v. Board of Education" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (6)
- Who was the lead lawyer on the NAACP team that argued the Brown v. Board of Education case?
- How do Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education rulings represent different judicial interpretations of the 14th Amendment?
- What policy did the U.S Supreme Court outlaw in public schools with 'Brown v. Board of Education' ruling?
- What distinguishes Brown v. Board of Education from Freedom Summer in terms of their impacts on the civil rights movement?
- What was a major consequence of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954?
- How did Brown v. Board of Education impact education rights in America?
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