Final answer:
The Brown v. Board of Education decision argued for the cause of civil rights and overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine by ruling that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment, leading to the desegregation of schools.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education
The decision in Brown v. Board of Education argued for the cause of civil rights by determining that the doctrine of "separate but equal" was unconstitutional in public education. This landmark 1954 Supreme Court case unfolded after students were denied access to certain public schools solely based on race. The unanimous decision held that racial segregation in public schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, overturning the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson case. The ruling essentially mandated the desegregation of schools across the United States, thereby laying a significant legal foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.
Following this decision, the struggle to enforce desegregation and ensure equal access to educational resources continued, influencing numerous subsequent cases and policies aimed at ending segregation in all areas of public life. Brown v. Board of Education remains a precedent for cases addressing equality and discrimination in the American educational system.