One major event that changed the trajectory of civil rights in the United States during the 1950s was the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954. This landmark ruling declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson decision that upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Brown case energized the civil rights movement by providing a legal basis for challenging segregation and discrimination. It served as a catalyst for subsequent civil rights actions, including protests and legislation aimed at dismantling institutionalized racism across various aspects of American life.