Which case represented a significant shift away from the "separate but equal" doctrine?

Brown v. Board of Education is a landmark Supreme Court case that represented a significant shift away from the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson. In the 1954 decision, the Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, determining that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. This ruling directly challenged the legal foundation that had allowed state-sponsored segregation for decades, asserting that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The implications of Brown v. Board of Education extended far beyond just education; it served as a catalyst for the civil rights movement, leading to increased activism and further legal challenges against segregation and discrimination in various aspects of American life. Thus, this case not only overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson but also shaped the trajectory of civil rights advancements in the United States.