the supreme court's landmark 1954 decision in brown vs. board of education struck down what doctrine
Brown v. Board of Education The intellectual roots of Plessy v. Ferguson, the landmark United States Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation in 1896 under the doctrine of "separate but equal" were, in part, tied to the scientific racism of the era.[57][58] However, the popular support for the decision was more likely a result of the racist beliefs held by many whites at the time.[59] In deciding Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court rejected the ideas of scientific racists about the need for segregation, especially in schools. The Court buttressed its holding by citing (in footnote 11) social science research about the harms to black children caused by segregated schools.