Final answer:
The case referred to as 'the case of the century' concerning Thurgood Marshall is Brown v. The Board of Education, where segregation in public schools was declared unconstitutional, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thurgood Marshall and the Case of the Century
When referring to Thurgood Marshall and the "case of the century," it is most likely the reference to Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Thurgood Marshall argued this landmark case before the Supreme Court on behalf of the NAACP and the Brown family. The case was about challenging the constitutionality of racial segregation in American public schools. It led to a pivotal Supreme Court decision in 1954 that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional, thus overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established by the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. The Brown v. Board of Education case became a cornerstone in the struggle for civil rights in the United States and substantially advanced the cause of desegregation and equal rights under law.