Question

according to the supreme courts brown decision, segregation violates the equal protection guaranteed by which amendment?

the 20th amendment
the 14th amendment
the 1st amendment

Explanation:

Identify the core legal question

The question asks which constitutional amendment guarantees the equal protection that was violated by segregation, according to the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Analyze the constitutional basis of the Brown decision

Using the Brown v. Board of Education and Fourteenth Amendment knowledge points:

• In the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
• The Court held that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
• This state-sponsored segregation was found to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits states from denying any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Evaluate the given options

• the 20th Amendment: Sets the dates for the end of presidential and congressional terms.
• the 14th Amendment: Contains the Equal Protection Clause, which was the foundation of the Brown ruling.
• the 1st Amendment: Protects freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.

Answer:

• the 20th Amendment
• the 14th Amendment (Correct answer)
• the 1st Amendment