Florida Civics Literacy Practice Exam (FCLE) 2025 - Free Civics Literacy Practice Questions and Study Guide

The Brown v. Board of Education case, decided by the Supreme Court in 1954, was a landmark decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This case effectively overturned the previous legal doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine that allowed for segregation as long as the separate facilities were deemed equal.

The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education emphasized that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and that segregation in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, the case set a precedent that helped pave the way for the civil rights movement and significantly contributed to the eventual desegregation of schools across the United States. This major shift aimed to provide equal educational opportunities for all children, irrespective of race, fundamentally altering the landscape of public education and promoting greater equality in American society.