What landmark Supreme Court case declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional?

The landmark Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional is Brown v. Board of Education. This 1954 decision fundamentally changed the legal landscape regarding civil rights in the United States. The Court found that "separate but equal" educational facilities for racial minorities and whites were inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling effectively overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld state-sponsored segregation in public facilities as long as the separate facilities were equal. Brown v. Board of Education emphasized that segregation in education created a sense of inferiority among African American children that could significantly affect their educational and personal growth. This decision was a crucial turning point in the civil rights movement, leading to the desegregation of public schools across the nation and setting a precedent for further advancements in civil rights.