The 'separate but equal' doctrine for public accommodations was established in which case?

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson
• B. Brown v. Board of Education
• C. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• D. Korematsu v. United States

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how the Constitution treated racial segregation in public facilities. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established the "separate but equal" doctrine, ruling that state laws requiring racial separation were permissible as long as the separate facilities were equal in quality. This provided legal justification for Jim Crow laws and segregation in trains, schools, and other public accommodations for decades. Later on, Brown v. Board of Education (1954) rejected this rationale, holding that segregated facilities are inherently unequal, at least in the context of public education. The other cases address different issues entirely: Dred Scott v. Sandford concerned citizenship and rights of enslaved people, and Korematsu v. United States dealt with wartime internment.