Brown v. Board of Education is a landmark case that addressed which issue?

• A. The unconstitutionality of racial segregation in public schools.
• B. The legality of separate but equal in higher education.
• C. The enforcement of federal civil rights workers.
• D. The establishment of a new federal agency for housing.

Answer: (A)

This question tests the idea that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court in this case ruled that separating students by race in public education violates equal protection because state-imposed segregation stigmatizes Black children and denies them the same educational opportunities as white children. This decision effectively overturned the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of "separate but equal," at least as it applied to public schools, and it focused specifically on education rather than other areas like higher education, federal civil rights enforcement, or housing policy. The core takeaway is that government-mandated school segregation cannot stand because it undermines equal protection and equal access to education.