What landmark Supreme Court case upheld the doctrine of 'separate but equal'?

Study for the American History Checkpoint Test from 1877 to 1945. Explore multiple choice questions with detailed hints and explanations to ace your exam!

The landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the doctrine of 'separate but equal' is Plessy v. Ferguson. Decided in 1896, this ruling established a legal foundation for racial segregation in public facilities. The case arose when Homer Plessy, an African American man, was arrested for sitting in a "whites-only" railroad car in Louisiana. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause as long as the separate facilities for the different races were equal in quality. This doctrine justified the segregation policies that persisted for decades, until they were ultimately overturned by later decisions, most notably Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The significance of Plessy v. Ferguson lies in its profound and lasting impact on American society and law regarding civil rights and racial equality.

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