Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Brown v. Board of Education, written by Justice Warren.
Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law, for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority of the group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn. Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a tendency to the educational and mental development of children and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racial[ly] integrated school system.
Whatever may have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by modern authority. Any language in Plessy v. Ferguson contrary to this finding is rejected.
We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Which statement accurately summarizes the opinion of the court?
The doctrine of “separate but equal” takes away African American citizens’ rights to an equal public education.
The doctrine of “separate but equal” shows that equal facilities provide equal opportunities.
A sense of inferiority affects children’s motivation to learn in a segregated system.
Plessy v. Ferguson is based on dated psychological knowledge that should be rejected.