Other key rulings related to Brown v. Board of Education
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This case established the “separate but equal” doctrine, which Brown v. Board of Education overturned. It had previously upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities.
Cooper v. Aaron (1958): In this case, four years after the original Brown ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed its decision, holding that state officials could not ignore or delay desegregation efforts. This was a response to the “Massive Resistance” movement in the South, which sought to circumvent the Brown ruling.
Bolling v. Sharpe (1954): This is one of the five cases that were consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education. It specifically addressed the segregation of students in the District of Columbia, where segregation was not explicitly prohibited by the Fourteenth Amendment, unlike in the states.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954): The Supreme Court unanimously found that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, and stated that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” It was a major victory for the civil rights movement and a crucial first step in dismantling segregation.
REMEMBER HISTORY, STEVE