c) Plessy v. Ferguson

The landmark 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson established the doctrine of ‘separate but equal.’ This ruling legalized racial segregation in public facilities, under the premise that separate facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional if they were equal. The decision provided legal justification for Jim Crow laws, leading to decades of systematic discrimination against African Americans. Plessy v. Ferguson was a critical moment in the history of U.S. civil rights, with its repercussions lasting well into the 20th century until it was finally overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.