Which case originally upheld the 'separate but equal' doctrine before being overturned?

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson
• B. Brown v. Board of Education
• C. Mapp v. Ohio
• D. Roe v. Wade

Answer: (A)

This question tests understanding of how the "separate but equal" idea began and why it was later rejected. Plessy v. Ferguson, decided in 1896, upheld state laws that segregated people by race in public facilities by claiming that separate facilities could be lawful if they were equal in quality. That ruling provided the constitutional cover for Jim Crow segregation for decades. It was eventually overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which held that segregation in public schools is inherently unequal and unconstitutional. The other cases involve different legal principles—Mapp v. Ohio deals with the Fourth Amendment and the exclusionary rule, and Roe v. Wade concerns abortion rights. So the case that originally upheld the doctrine is Plessy v. Ferguson.