The result of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was a landmark Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This unanimous decision overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Court determined that segregated schools were inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling provided a significant legal framework for the civil rights movement, igniting activism against segregation and discrimination in various aspects of American life. It marked a crucial step toward greater racial equality in education and beyond.