Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Brown v. Board of Education, written by Justice Warren.
We come then to the question presented: Does segregation
of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even
though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may
be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal
educational opportunities? We believe that it does.
... To separate them from others of similar age and
qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling
of inferiority as to their status in the community that may
affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be
undone.
Segregation of white and colored children in public schools
has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The
impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law, for the
policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as
denoting the inferiority of the negro group. A sense of
What reason does Warren give for believing that "separate
but equal" does not give minority children equal educational
opportunities?
the findings of the court in Plessy v. Ferguson regarding
equal educational facilities
the reduced effects of segregation when it is sanctioned
by federal regulations
the findings that a sense of inferiority affects the
motivation to learn
the differences in educational and mental development in
public and private schools