In brown v. board of education, the supreme court cited the equal-protection
clause in the fourteenth amendment to the constitution. that clause makes it
unconstitutional for any state to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws." in other words, states may not pass any law that treats one
person differently than it treats other people in comparable circumstances and
situations.
• why was the supreme court right to invoke the equal-protection clause in their
ruling on brown v. board of education?
• school segregation was deemed unconstitutional by the supreme court in 1954, but
some states, cities, and towns protested the ruling, fighting to stall or block school
integration. in fact, public schools in america were not fully desegregated until almost
two decades later. does this surprise you? why, or why not? consider what you have
learned about civil rights in america in previous lessons.