Final answer:
Thirteen families sued the Topeka school board to challenge segregation in public schools. The US Supreme Court ruled that separate schools, even if they received equal funding, were inherently unequal and violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the case known as Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, thirteen families sued the Topeka school board to challenge segregation in public schools. The US Supreme Court eventually agreed to hear the case, along with four similar lawsuits from other states. The Supreme Court ruled that separate schools, even if they received equal funding, were inherently unequal and violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.