Brown v. Board of Education

What happened

On 17 May 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that segregating public schools by race was unconstitutional, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine of 1896. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that separating children solely by race denied Black children the equal protection guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Why it matters

Brown struck down the legal basis of school segregation and handed the civil rights movement a landmark victory — and a mandate — that inspired a decade of struggle.

Sources

• National Archives. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) · Primary source