What landmark case did Brown v. Board of Education overturn?

Brown v. Board of Education is a pivotal Supreme Court case decided in 1954, which marked a significant turning point in the fight against racial segregation in public schools. The court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public education was inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional, effectively overturning the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson.

Plessy v. Ferguson, decided in 1896, established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which allowed for racial segregation as long as the facilities provided to both races were equal. This case upheld the legality of segregation in various public facilities, including schools, leading to a long-standing justification for discrimination.

Brown v. Board of Education directly challenged this established doctrine, demonstrating through social science evidence and moral reasoning that segregated educational facilities were fundamentally unequal, leading to unequal opportunities and reinforcing social hierarchies. Thus, the ruling in Brown v. Board served to dismantle the legal basis for racial segregation and greatly advanced the civil rights movement. Other cases listed, such as Roe v. Wade, Marbury v. Madison, and United States v. Nixon, dealt with different issues and do not have a direct connection to the matter of public school segregation.