Question

Which argument did Thurgood Marshall use to challenge the legality of segregation in Brown v. Board of Education?

All schools for African Americans were of poor quality.

By their nature, separate schools could never be equal.

White students in segregated schools were harmed because they were denied exposure to African American children.

Answer 1

"By their nature, separate schools could never be equal."

Marshall argued that segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and that separation itself produced inequality (using social‑science evidence such as the Clark doll studies to show the psychological harm and stigmatizing effect on Black children).