Brown v. Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson. Linda Brown and other families argued that segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment and black students received an inferior education. The Supreme Court agreed, finding that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal and prohibited de jure racial segregation.

1. U.S. Landmark Cases

2. Brown v. Board of Education
● In 1868, the 14th amendment was ratified into the United States Constitution,
which granted citizenship to all people “born and naturalized” in the U.S.
● In 1877, the Jim Crow Laws were passed, which created the law commonly
known as “separate but equal”.
● During the civil rights movement in 1950’s, Linda Brown and her family, the
plaintiff, recognized their 14th amendment rights as a U.S. citizen and stated
that segregation of schools violated their 14th amendment rights. "No State shall .
. . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
● The Brown family got tired of going to a separate school that was only blacks,
not to mention that this segregated school was further away the the white only
school right by their house, so they brought the case to court.
● They also argued how black students in segregated schools get physiologically
damaged.

3. Brown v. Board of Education
● Even though the Federal Court knew that segregation
had negative effects on black children, they saw
segregation as legal because both black-only and
white-only schools had the same laws with similar
buildings, transportation, and teachers.

4. Brown v. Board of Education
● The Court decided that state laws requiring separate
but equal schools violated the Equal Protection Clause
of the Fourteenth Amendment.
● The U.S Supreme Court acknowledged that black
children were being brainwashed into thinking that they
were inferior when, by law, they weren’t.

5. Plessy v. Ferguson
● The Separate Car Act of 1890 stated that all railway
companies in Louisiana must abide by the “separate but
equal” accommodations, which means that blacks and
whites had separate railway cars.
● Homer Plessy believed against the the separate but
equal saws, so he purchased a ticket to a white only rail
car. He said they violated the 13th and 14th
amendment.

6. Plessy v. Ferguson
● The defendant's main argument made was that
separate is equal
● Judge Ferguson stated that the state had the right to
make that law, according to the 10th amendment;
therefore, the state was allowed to pass these railway
acts making their actions constitutional.

7. Plessy v. Ferguson
● The Court ruled in favor of Ferguson 7:1
● Most of Plessy’s arguments regarding the 13th and 14th
amendments were disregarded, and the justice did not
believe that denying the integration “stamped the
colored race with inferiority.
● The 10th, 13th, and 14th amendments were used.

8. ● Aaron Ogden filed a complaint that Thomas Gibbons couldn’t operate his
steamboats in the New York and interstate waters because they were
granted a monopoly from the New York state government to operate
steamboats in this water.
● Gibbons didn’t approve of this and said according to Article 1 Section 8 of
the US Constitutions only the US Congress has the power to regulate
commerce with foreign nations and between states.
● Gibbons argued that the regulation of commerce relies to the US Congress
under Article 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution
● He also argued that the New York state Government couldn’t grant a
person regulation over interstate waters
Gibbons v. Ogden

9. Gibbons v. Ogden
•Ogden argued that according to the New York state Law
he should be the only person operating his steamboats in
the water
•Ogden argued had the power of commerce regulation
should be shared between the state and the government
and the Fulton-Livingston monopoly should be upheld

10. Gibbons v. Ogden
•The courts decided that Gibbons is allowed to operate his
steamboats between New York and New Jersey because
only the US Congress is allowed to regulate commerce
between states the Fulton-Livingston monopoly is
destroyed
•Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution was used to
determine the court's decision

11. In Conclusion...
In Conclusion, Court cases prove to show
the rights we have as citizens, and it informs us
on whether or not we interpret our laws and
constitution in a successful way.