Final answer:
The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine and leading to the desegregation of schools.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the video Federalism and The Little Rock Nine, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that state segregation of public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment. This landmark case overturned the principle of "separate but equal" set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and was a significant leap toward ending racial segregation in the United States. The unanimous decision acknowledged that segregated schools were inherently unequal, perpetuated harm, and violated the equal protection clause, which ultimately removed legal support for segregated schools across the country.
The case consolidated five separate lawsuits, all sponsored by the NAACP. It was centered around the experiences of African-American students who were denied equal access to education based solely on their race. The legal dismantling of segregation in public schools with this case laid the foundation for challenging discriminatory practices in various institutions nationwide.