Final answer:
School segregation was enforced legally through 'separate but equal' doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson, and while more prevalent in the South, Northern states also practiced segregation. The Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 started the dismantling of this system, declaring 'separate educational facilities' unconstitutional.
Step-by-step explanation:
School Segregation in the USA (1865 to Early 1950s)
Between 1865 and the early 1950s, school segregation in the USA was enforced through a combination of state laws and local practices. In the landmark 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of 'separate but equal' facilities, cementing de jure segregation, especially in Southern states. However, school segregation was not solely a Southern issue; Northern and Western communities with substantial non-white populations also maintained segregated schools, whether by law or in practice. Facilities and resources for African Americans were generally inferior, contributing to systemic inequality.
By the 1950s, legal challenges began to mount against this unequal system. The most famous of these was the Brown v. Board of Education case, where Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP used sociological evidence to demonstrate the damaging effects of segregation on African American students. The Supreme Court's 1954 decision declared 'separate educational facilities' unconstitutional, although actual integration would take many more years to achieve in some parts of the USA.