The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was perfectly constitutional as long as the separate spaces were equal. they were not.

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

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is the “separate but equal” doctrine, which claimed that racial segregation could be legal as long as the separate facilities were equal. This principle came from Plessy v. Ferguson, decided in 1896, which upheld state laws requiring racial separation by arguing it did not violate the 14th Amendment as long as the facilities were equal in theory. In reality, those facilities were not equal, meaning the policy created systemic inequality. Brown v. Board of Education later rejected this premise, ruling that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. The other cases address different issues: Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship and slavery before the Civil War, and Lemon v. Kurtzman concerns the separation of church and state in public schools.