The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) held that race-based segregation within public schools was unconstitutional. This ruling declared that "separate but equal" educational facilities were inherently unequal, thereby violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Brown v. Board played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring efforts to dismantle segregation and discrimination in various facets of American life. This decision set a precedent for future cases challenging segregation, fundamentally transforming the legal landscape around civil rights in the United States.