Question

What reason does Warren give for believing that 'separate but equal' does not give minority children equal educational opportunities? Choose from the following options:

1. The findings of the court in Plessy v. Ferguson regarding equal educational facilities.
2. The reduced effects of segregation when it is sanctioned by federal regulations.
3. The findings that a sense of inferiority affects the motivation to learn.
4. The differences in educational and mental development in public and private schools guaranteed in the constitution.
5. The idea that noncitizens cannot claim certain rights and privileges in the constitution.
6. The idea that the plaintiff considers himself a citizen and therefore has rights and privileges.
7. The idea that African American people are inferior based on perceptions from an earlier time.

Answer 1

Chief Justice Earl Warren believed that 'separate but equal' does not provide equal educational opportunities because segregation generates a sense of inferiority in minority children that hinder their motivation to learn. This was based on psychological studies and became a fundamental aspect of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Option 3 is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Chief Justice Earl Warren articulated the decision of the Supreme Court in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which fundamentally questioned the doctrine of 'separate but equal' as established in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Warren and the unanimous court concluded that even with ostensibly equal facilities, segregated schools are inherently unequal, leading to a detrimental effect on the education and personal development of minority children. Critical to this determination was the understanding that segregation instills a sense of inferiority that affects a child's motivation to learn and ability to receive the full benefits of education, an argument supported by psychological studies at the time.

The option that best describes Warren's reasoning is the third: The findings that a sense of inferiority affects the motivation to learn. Segregation, especially when legally sanctioned, was shown to create and reinforce feelings of inferiority among minority children, negatively impacting their educational opportunities and development, which could not be remedied by facilities of equal quality alone.

Therefore, it can be concluded that 'separate but equal' does not provide minority children with equal educational opportunities, and as such is an unconstitutional practice.