Final answer:
The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court case concluded that 'separate but equal' facilities violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, marking a pivotal moment in civil rights history by overturning the segregationist doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the Equal Protection Clause
In the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the conclusion was that "separate but equal" educational facilities for racial minorities are inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision in 1954 overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which had established the segregationist doctrine. The case was significant as it represented a consolidation of five lawsuits sponsored by the NAACP and brought to the forefront the grievous psychological impact of segregation on African American children, as demonstrated by Kenneth Clark's sociological studies.
Chief Justice Earl Warren, leading a unified court, stated in the majority opinion that the enforced separation of students in public schools based on race engendered a sense of inferiority among African American students. Even if the physical facilities were equal, the act of segregating them was in itself a declaration of their inferiority, which is why de jure segregation in public schools became unconstitutional. This pivotal judgment paved the way for further civil rights advancements and is revered as a monumental step toward justice and equality in the United States.