Which 1896 Supreme Court decision upheld the 'separate but equal' doctrine that permitted state-ordered segregation?

Which 1896 Supreme Court decision upheld the 'separate but equal' doctrine that permitted state-ordered segregation?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
• B. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• C. Plessy v. Ferguson
• D. Sweatt v. Painter

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the legal basis for state-ordered segregation through the doctrine of “separate but equal.” In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause did not prohibit racial segregation as long as the separate facilities for Black and white people were equal in quality. This gave constitutional cover to Jim Crow laws and allowed segregated public facilities—schools, trains, restrooms, and more—for decades, even though in practice the facilities for Black Americans were rarely equal. This framework was challenged decades later. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned the idea that separate facilities could be truly equal in the realm of public education, declaring segregation inherently unequal. Other cases may address related issues—Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery long before the Fourteenth Amendment, and Sweatt v. Painter (1950) began dismantling the separate-but-equal doctrine in higher education by recognizing that separate facilities could not be genuinely equal.

The main idea here is the legal basis for state-ordered segregation through the doctrine of “separate but equal.” In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause did not prohibit racial segregation as long as the separate facilities for Black and white people were equal in quality. This gave constitutional cover to Jim Crow laws and allowed segregated public facilities—schools, trains, restrooms, and more—for decades, even though in practice the facilities for Black Americans were rarely equal.

This framework was challenged decades later. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned the idea that separate facilities could be truly equal in the realm of public education, declaring segregation inherently unequal. Other cases may address related issues—Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery long before the Fourteenth Amendment, and Sweatt v. Painter (1950) began dismantling the separate-but-equal doctrine in higher education by recognizing that separate facilities could not be genuinely equal.