Brown v. Board of Education refers to a landmark case in the United States Supreme Court that played a pivotal role in the struggle against racial segregation in American public schools. The case was named after Oliver Brown, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
In the early 1950s, racial segregation was still widespread in many aspects of American life, including public schools. The case originated from a class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in 1951. Thirteen African American parents, including Oliver Brown, challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. They argued that the segregation of students into separate schools based on race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and on May 17, 1954, the Court issued a unanimous decision in favor of the plaintiffs.