Brown v. Board Decision
The Supreme Court’s unanimous 1954 ruling declared segregated schools inherently unequal and unconstitutional. This landmark case overturned decades of “separate but equal” doctrine that had justified segregation. Thurgood Marshall brilliantly argued the case for the NAACP after years of careful preparation. Social science evidence showed segregation’s psychological damage to children. The decision sparked hope nationwide but faced fierce resistance from segregationists. Many districts delayed integration for years.
