Which case established the doctrine of 'separate but equal' in public facilities?

Which case established the doctrine of 'separate but equal' in public facilities?

• A. Brown v. Board
• B. Korematsu v. United States
• C. Reed v. Reed
• D. Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer: (D)

This question tests the origin of the idea that public facilities could be segregated as long as the facilities were “equal.” That standard was set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, when the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law requiring separate railway cars for Black and white passengers, declaring segregation constitutional if the separate facilities were equal in quality. In practice, the facilities were rarely equal, which helped entrench Jim Crow laws for decades. The doctrine was later rejected by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which held that segregated public schools are inherently unequal and unconstitutional. The other cases involve different civil rights issues: Korematsu v. United States dealt with Japanese American internment during World War II, Reed v. Reed addressed gender discrimination in estate administration, and Brown v. Board challenged segregation in schools rather than establishing it.

This question tests the origin of the idea that public facilities could be segregated as long as the facilities were “equal.” That standard was set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, when the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law requiring separate railway cars for Black and white passengers, declaring segregation constitutional if the separate facilities were equal in quality. In practice, the facilities were rarely equal, which helped entrench Jim Crow laws for decades. The doctrine was later rejected by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which held that segregated public schools are inherently unequal and unconstitutional. The other cases involve different civil rights issues: Korematsu v. United States dealt with Japanese American internment during World War II, Reed v. Reed addressed gender discrimination in estate administration, and Brown v. Board challenged segregation in schools rather than establishing it.