What did the Brown v. Board of Education decision address?

The decision in Brown v. Board of Education addressed segregation in public schools, marking a significant moment in the fight against racial discrimination in the United States. The case was brought before the Supreme Court in 1954, challenging the legality of racial segregation in public education. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" educational facilities for racial minorities and whites were inherently unequal, thus unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

This landmark ruling was pivotal as it not only declared that segregation in public schools violated students' rights but also laid the groundwork for the broader civil rights movement by affirming that segregation was detrimental to the education and personal development of minority children. The decision directly countered the previous ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson, effectively overturning it, and set a precedent that fueled subsequent efforts to desegregate other public facilities and promote equality in the United States.