Final answer:
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. This decision was later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation was constitutional, establishing the doctrine of “separate but equal.” This ruling made it legal for racial segregation to be implemented in various public accommodations, as long as the segregated facilities for Black and White individuals were equal in quality. However, in practice, the facilities provided for Black Americans were often inferior. The decision of Plessy v. Ferguson was eventually overturned in 1954 by the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal, thus making segregation in public schools unconstitutional.