Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

FRQ Prompt

Heman Sweatt, an African American man, was refused admission to the University of Texas Law School on the basis of his race. The state created a separate, inferior law school for Black students. Sweatt sued, arguing that the separate facility did not provide equal educational opportunities. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sweatt, holding that the intangible factors—such as the prestige of the faculty, influence of the alumni, and standing in the community—made the separate school inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause.