What was the objective of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling?

• A. To outlaw segregation in public schools
• B. To enhance voting rights
• C. To establish civil rights for women
• D. To regulate labor standards

Answer: (A)

The Brown v. Board of Education ruling, delivered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954, aimed to outlaw segregation in public schools, addressing the practice that had been established under the precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. The Court found that segregating children in public schools solely based on their race created a sense of inferiority that was detrimental to their education and personal development. This landmark decision declared that "separate but equal" educational facilities were inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a consequence, it marked a significant turning point in the civil rights movement, galvanizing efforts to dismantle the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation across various facets of society, particularly in the south. This ruling laid the groundwork for further desegregation efforts and set a crucial legal precedent for future anti-discrimination legislation.