At the time of the brown v. board of education decision, schools were segregated everywhere in the country. several states had laws requiring segregated schools. schools in nearly every state had been desegregated. segregation was common in the north, but not in the south.

At the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, schools were segregated everywhere in the country as, in 1896, a law prohibiting African-American to share the same buses, schools, and public places with whites was sanctioned. This racial segregation was legal, as long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal. That was the "separate but equal" doctrine. It took place throughout six decades.

in february 1787, congress decided that a convention should be convened to revise the articles of confederation, the nation’s first constitution. in may, 55 delegates came to philadelphia, and the constitutional convention began. debates erupted over representation in congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch. the debates continued through four hot and muggy months. but eventually the delegates reached compromises, and on september 17, they produced the u.s. constitution, replacing the articles with the governing document that has functioned effectively for more than 200 years.