Which 1896 Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation as long as facilities were equal?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education
• B. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• C. Roe v. Wade
• D. Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer: (D)

Racial segregation being allowed if facilities are equal is the idea behind the 1896 doctrine of “separate but equal.” The Supreme Court ruled that state laws requiring African Americans and whites to use separate public facilities were constitutional as long as the facilities were equal in quality. This upheld Jim Crow laws and legitimized segregated public spaces for decades, including schools, trains, and restrooms. It wasn’t until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 that the courts rejected the notion that separate facilities could be considered equal, striking down segregation in education. Other famous cases involve different issues: Dred Scott v. Sandford dealt with citizenship before the Civil War, and Roe v. Wade addressed abortion rights. The case that matches the description is Plessy v. Ferguson.