Complete Question:
Which statement best describes the relationship between Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education?
A. Both cases addressed the need for due process of law.
B. Both cases dealt with the rights of minors in schools.
C. The Brown decision overturned the Plessy decision.
D. The Brown case was a precedent for the Plessy case
Answer:
C. The Brown decision overturned the Plessy decision.
Explanation:
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark court case between Homer A. Plessy and John H. Ferguson, in which the justices of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled (7-1) on the 18th of May, 1896 that racial segregation laws for public facilities didn't violate the "separate but equal" clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.
The Fourteenth Amendment is an amendment to the constitution of the United States of America and it addresses the issue of civil and legal rights for the African American citizens and slaves who had gained freedom after the American Civil War. The 14th Amendment is made up of the clause known as the equal protection of the laws.
An equal protection is a clause that states and guarantees that no state and local governments shall make or enforce any law which would contravene the privileges, rights or immunities of all persons born or naturalized in the United States of America. Simply stated, the equal protection guarantees that all citizens will be treated equally by the law. The equal protection clause took effect in the United States of America in 1868.
Further, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark litigation or court case between Oliver Brown and the Board of Education in which the justices of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled (9-0) in 1954 that racially segregating children in public schools was unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (14th) of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Hence, the statement which best describes the relationship between Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education is that, the Brown v. Board of Education decision overturned the Plessy decision.
