Final answer:
The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education recognized the psychological harm of segregation, contradicting the Plessy v. Ferguson argument that any sense of inferiority amongst African Americans was self-imposed. Historic beauty standards and the preference of Black children for white dolls in psychological tests proved influential in the court's decision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The contention by the court that if any inferiority is evident, it is only because "the colored race chooses" to interpret the act in that manner, is a statement from the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896. This argument was rejected in the Brown v. Board of Education case, where psychological studies, such as the Clarks' doll test, revealed that segregation and racial discrimination imposed a sense of inferiority on African American children. The historical standards of beauty, which were often characterized by white features, played a significant role in this, where Black children showed a preference for white dolls over black dolls, implying a sense of self-rejection and internalization of racial inferiority. Despite the criticisms of individuals like Zora Neale Hurston, who felt that the ruling was an attack on the Black community's integrity, the Supreme Court's decision marked a major step in advancing civil rights by recognizing the psychological harm of segregation.