The significance of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, delivered in 1954, was its declaration that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate but equal" educational facilities were inherently unequal, thus overturning the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. This landmark decision was a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement, catalyzing efforts to dismantle segregation and discrimination. It provided legal grounds for future civil rights advocacy, promoting the idea that education must be integrated, and increased momentum toward ending systemic racism in various aspects of American life.