The Plessy Vs. Ferguson Case

The great civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., once said in a famous speech, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (Chused, 2014, 115). In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson case declared all public spaces as "separate but equal". The Plessy v. Ferguson case declared that as long as the public places were equal, it is lawful to keep them separate, which meant that the states were to allow segregation in public schools. The law was acceptable to the public because they were receiving "equal" treatment; however, it was more like separate and unequal. On May 17, 1954, Oliver Brown challenged the legitimacy of the Plessy v. Ferguson law through the Brown v. Board of Education case and started a movement that changed history. This Supreme Court case ruled unanimously in Brown's favor, and the Plessy v. Ferguson law was to be eliminated due to its violation of the 14th amendment's Equal Protection clause. The Brown v. Board of Education was a huge step for African Americans at the time and had a huge effect on the Civil Rights Movement.
Board of Education case's most important effect on society was that it empowered African Americans to take part in many movements that inspired the start of the Civil Rights