Which case established the 'separate but equal' doctrine?

Which case established the 'separate but equal' doctrine?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education
• B. Plessy v. Ferguson
• C. Roe v. Wade
• D. Dred Scott v. Sandford

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is where the “separate but equal” doctrine originated in American constitutional law. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that racial segregation could be legal if the separate facilities for Black and white people were purportedly equal, effectively upholding Jim Crow laws across the South by endorsing state-managed separation as constitutional. This framework lasted for decades until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which rejected the notion that segregation was inherently equal and declared public school segregation unconstitutional. The other cases don’t establish this doctrine—Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery status, and Roe v. Wade concerns abortion rights.

The idea being tested is where the “separate but equal” doctrine originated in American constitutional law. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that racial segregation could be legal if the separate facilities for Black and white people were purportedly equal, effectively upholding Jim Crow laws across the South by endorsing state-managed separation as constitutional. This framework lasted for decades until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which rejected the notion that segregation was inherently equal and declared public school segregation unconstitutional. The other cases don’t establish this doctrine—Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery status, and Roe v. Wade concerns abortion rights.