Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a Supreme Court case that affirmed the constitutionality of racial segregation so long as groups were provided facilities that are separate, but equal. This segregation extended from restaurants to water fountains to public schools. The case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson was Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954). Brown v. Board ruled that racial segregation in public schools (and elsewhere) was unconstitutional on the basis that by virtue of making facilities separate, those facilities became inherently unequal.
