The major event in 1954 that tested the segregation laws in the United States was the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. This case challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. The plaintiffs argued that segregated schools were inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate but equal" educational facilities were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional, effectively overturning the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. This ruling was a crucial milestone in the civil rights movement, igniting efforts to end segregation across the nation.