Linda Brown, 9, walks past Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1953. Her enrollment in the all-white school was blocked, leading her family to bring a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. Four similar cases were combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the US Supreme Court as <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2013%2F07%2F04%2Fus%2Fbrown-v-board-of-education%2Findex.html">Brown v. Board of Education.</a> The court's landmark ruling on the case on May 17, 1954, led to the desegregation of the US education system.
Linda Brown, 9, walks past Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1953. Her enrollment in the all-white school was blocked, leading her family to bring a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. Four similar cases were combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the US Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education. The court's landmark ruling on the case on May 17, 1954, led to the desegregation of the US education system.
Carl Iwasaki/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Linda Brown, center, and her sister Terry Lynn, far right, take a bus to Monroe Elementary School, an all-black school in Topeka, in 1953.
Linda Brown, center, and her sister Terry Lynn, far right, take a bus to Monroe Elementary School, an all-black school in Topeka, in 1953.
Carl Iwasaki/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
The Brown sisters attend class at Monroe Elementary School in 1953. Linda is on the front row on the right, and Terry Lynn is in the far left row, third from the front.
The Brown sisters attend class at Monroe Elementary School in 1953. Linda is on the front row on the right, and Terry Lynn is in the far left row, third from the front.
Carl Iwasaki/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
From left, lead lawyers Harold P. Boulware, Thurgood Marshall and Spottswood W. Robinson III confer at the US Supreme Court prior to presenting arguments in 1953. Marshall, the NAACP's Special Counsel and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, argued the case before the Supreme Court.
From left, lead lawyers Harold P. Boulware, Thurgood Marshall and Spottswood W. Robinson III confer at the US Supreme Court prior to presenting arguments in 1953. Marshall, the NAACP's Special Counsel and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, argued the case before the Supreme Court.
New York World-Telegram/the Sun/Library of Congress
Among the other cases attached to Brown v. Board of Education was Dorothy Davis, et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia. Pictured are some of the more than 100 students named in that case. The lawsuit initially sought repairs to Robert Moton High School, a segregated school in Farmville, Virginia. The suit was named for Dorothy E. Davis, pictured in the center with glasses.
Among the other cases attached to Brown v. Board of Education was Dorothy Davis, et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia. Pictured are some of the more than 100 students named in that case. The lawsuit initially sought repairs to Robert Moton High School, a segregated school in Farmville, Virginia. The suit was named for Dorothy E. Davis, pictured in the center with glasses.
People wait in line outside the Supreme Court during the hearings in 1953.
People wait in line outside the Supreme Court during the hearings in 1953.
New York World-Telegram/the Sun/Library of Congress
One of the key pieces presented against segregation was psychologist Kenneth Clark's "Doll Test" in the 1940s. Black children were shown two dolls, identical except for color, to determine racial perception and preference. A majority preferred the white doll and associated it with positive characteristics. The court cited Clark's study, saying, "To separate [African-American children] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone."
One of the key pieces presented against segregation was psychologist Kenneth Clark's "Doll Test" in the 1940s. Black children were shown two dolls, identical except for color, to determine racial perception and preference. A majority preferred the white doll and associated it with positive characteristics. The court cited Clark's study, saying, "To separate [African-American children] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone."
Gordon Parks/Ebony Magazine/Library of Congress
From left, lawyers George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James M. Nabrit join hands outside the US Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, in celebration of the court's historic ruling. The ruling read in part: "We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
From left, lawyers George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James M. Nabrit join hands outside the US Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, in celebration of the court's historic ruling. The ruling read in part: "We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
ap
Fourth-graders, both black and white, dash for the playground at St. Martin School in Washington on September 17, 1954. The Supreme Court ruling did not set a schedule for the integration of schools, rather calling for "deliberate speed." The District of Columbia and four states acted to end segregation promptly, while other areas met with resistance.
Fourth-graders, both black and white, dash for the playground at St. Martin School in Washington on September 17, 1954. The Supreme Court ruling did not set a schedule for the integration of schools, rather calling for "deliberate speed." The District of Columbia and four states acted to end segregation promptly, while other areas met with resistance.
AP
Alex Wilson, a reporter from the Tri-State Defender, is shoved by an angry mob of white people near Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 23, 1957. The fight started when nine black students gained entrance to the school as the US Army enforced integration.
Alex Wilson, a reporter from the Tri-State Defender, is shoved by an angry mob of white people near Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 23, 1957. The fight started when nine black students gained entrance to the school as the US Army enforced integration.
ap
National Guardsmen escort a black student from high school in Sturgis, Kentucky, at the end of a school day in September 1956.
National Guardsmen escort a black student from high school in Sturgis, Kentucky, at the end of a school day in September 1956.
Jerry Wichser/Evening Courier/AP
Ten years after the Supreme Court's decision, protests were still taking place. Here, 2-year-old Prentice Sharpe joins older children picketing a predominantly black elementary school in Albany, New York, on May 18, 1964.
Ten years after the Supreme Court's decision, protests were still taking place. Here, 2-year-old Prentice Sharpe joins older children picketing a predominantly black elementary school in Albany, New York, on May 18, 1964.
Arthur Z. Brooks/AP
Desegregating US schools
CNN  — 

Here’s a look at the landmark US Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education.

About the Case

Oliver Brown, an African American welder and assistant pastor, brings a case against the Topeka Board of Education for not allowing his 9-year-old daughter, Linda Brown, to attend Sumner Elementary School, an all-White school near their home.

Elizabeth Eckford walks from Little Rock's Central High after Guardsmen barred her from school.
Elizabeth Eckford walks from Little Rock's Central High after Guardsmen barred her from school.
Francis MillerTime & Life Pictures/Getty Images
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Related gallery LIFE looks back at the Little Rock Nine

Four similar cases are combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the Supreme Court as Oliver L. Brown et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, et al.

Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP’s Special Counsel and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, argued the case before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruling decreed that schools should be desegregated “with all deliberate speed” and that the “separate but equal” doctrine violated the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which states that no citizen can be denied equal protection under the law.

Timeline

1896 - The Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that a Louisiana statue requiring separate but equal railroad cars for African American and White passengers did not conflict with the 13th and 14th Amendments. This case led to the “separate but equal” doctrine and the Jim Crow laws regarding segregation of other facilities for public use (parks, restaurants, etc.).

February 28, 1951 - The Brown complaint is filed with the US District Court of Kansas in Kansas City.

August 1951 - Kansas District Court rules segregation is not illegal.

August 1951 - The NAACP files an appeal of the Kansas ruling to the Supreme Court. Joining in the appeal are cases from Delaware, Washington, Virginia and South Carolina. The case is now known as Brown v. Board of Education.

1950 - The NAACP enlists 13 families in Topeka, Kansas to enroll their children in nearby white schools. All of the children are denied admission. The NAACP files a class-action suit against the Topeka Board of Education.

February 28, 1951 - The Brown complaint is filed with the US District Court of Kansas in Kansas City.

August 1951 - Kansas District Court rules segregation is not illegal. The NAACP files an appeal of the Kansas ruling to the Supreme Court. Joining in the appeal are cases from Delaware, Washington, Virginia and South Carolina. The case is now known as Brown v. Board of Education.

December 9-11, 1952 - The Supreme Court hears arguments in Brown v. Board of Education.

May 17, 1954 - The Supreme Court announces its ruling, “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal;” overturns Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow laws and the separate but equal doctrine. The ruling strikes down the legal basis for segregated classrooms in Kansas and 20 other states.

May 31, 1955 - The Supreme Court hands down Brown II, a ruling meant to outline the process of school desegregation.

May 4, 1987 - Monroe Elementary School becomes a National Historic Landmark, as it was the school Linda Brown attended.

October 26, 1992 - Congress designates Monroe Elementary School a National Historic Site, making it a national park.

May 17, 2004 - Marks the 50th anniversary of the law and the grand opening of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic site at Monroe Elementary School.

March 25, 2018 - Linda Brown, who was at the center of the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended segregation in US schools, dies in Topeka, Kansas at the age of 75.

2018 - “Recovering Untold Stories: An Enduring Legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision,” a book of narratives from the plaintiffs in the consolidated cases or their families is published.