The 1955 Supreme Court case reversed Plessy v. Fergusson. In the new ruling, the Court struck down the idea of "separate but equal" schools, which: great—it only took them forty-nine years to figure out that a law was downright evil.

The majority opinion held that segregation inherently led to inequality, and it was impossible in practice to give African Americans the same opportunities and facilities as long as they were separated from white people.

This ruling led to massive tensions in the South. When African American students entered some formerly white schools, they had to be escorted by law enforcement. Angry bigots stood outside schools picketing and jeering, and Southern leaders like George Wallace promised to protect segregation. (Source)

Like many famous Supreme Court Cases, this one changed American society, and there was no going back. Economic and educational equality was not established overnight, but the law started to lean against racial discrimination. Now the segregators were officially living in the past…instead of just unofficially living in the past.