Which Supreme Court case established the doctrine of 'separate but equal'?

The doctrine of 'separate but equal' was established in the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. This case arose when Homer Plessy, an African American man, challenged Louisiana's segregation laws after being arrested for sitting in a whites-only railway car. The Supreme Court upheld the Louisiana law, ruling that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities for the segregated races were equal. This decision effectively legalized racial segregation across the United States and remained a cornerstone of legal segregation until it was overturned by later cases, notably Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which declared that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal. Understanding this context highlights the significance of Plessy v. Ferguson in American legal history and its long-lasting impact on civil rights.