Which case outlawed segregation in public schools?

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

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested is a ruling that ended racial segregation in public schools. Brown v. Board of Education held that racial segregation in public education is unconstitutional because separating students by race conveys the message that one race is inherently inferior, violating the equal protection guarantee of the 14th Amendment. This decision rejected the previous “separate but equal” standard established by Plessy v. Ferguson and declared that separate schools are inherently unequal, leading to desegregation efforts across the nation.

Roe v. Wade, by contrast, deals with abortion rights and has no direct bearing on schooling or segregation. Dred Scott v. Sandford predates the 14th Amendment and addressed citizenship and slavery, not education, so it does not govern public school segregation.