Question

which supreme court case ruled that segregation was legal in 1896?

dred scott v. sanford
brown v. board of education
plessy v. ferguson

Explanation:

⚡ Using what you learned: core goals of the civil rights movement

Step 1: Analyze the options and dates

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): This pre-Civil War decision ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and could not sue in federal court, and that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in U.S. territories.
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954): This landmark 20th-century decision ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine.
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This case directly addressed state-mandated racial segregation on trains and established the "separate but equal" doctrine, making racial segregation legal under the U.S. Constitution for decades.

Step 2: Match with the question

The question asks for the 1896 Supreme Court case that ruled segregation was legal. This matches Plessy v. Ferguson.

Answer:

Plessy v. Ferguson