Final answer:
The Brown v. Board of Education case took place in 1954 and was a pivotal US Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional, violating the Fourteenth Amendment. It marked the end of the 'separate but equal' doctrine.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was a significant case heard by the US Supreme Court in 1954. This landmark case united five separate lawsuits under its name due to the alphabetical order of the plaintiffs; however, its importance stems from its challenge to the 'separate but equal' doctrine established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896. The unanimous decision recognized that the segregation of public schools based on race was inherently unequal and unconstitutional according to the Fourteenth Amendment, thus overturning the legal basis for segregation and making it a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.
Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American Supreme Court Justice, argued the case on behalf of the NAACP and the families affected by school segregation. The court's ruling was not only a legal triumph but a social one, as it recognized the psychological harm of segregation on African American children, affirming that all students must have the opportunity to learn together regardless of race.