Which decision in 1954 overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and ordered desegregation of public schools?

• A. Meyer v. Nebraska
• B. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
• C. Loving v. Virginia
• D. Dred Scott v. Sandford

Answer: (B)

Central idea: The Brown v. Board of Education decision challenged the legal basis for racial segregation in schools by tying it to the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Court ruled that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, meaning segregation in public schools violates the Constitution. This overturned Plessy v. Ferguson’s doctrine of “separate but equal” and established that desegregation was required, though implementing it fully would take time and later guidance. For context, think of this as a turning point that moved the Civil Rights Movement from challenging segregation in general to forcing government-backed school systems to desegregate. The other cases present different issues—language education rights, interracial marriage, and slavery/citizenship—not the desegregation of schools.