What was the most important difference between the supreme court's rulings in plessy v. ferguson and brown v. board of education? a. the courts willingness to apply intermediate scrutiny to cases dealing with race b. the courts interpretation of whether the equal protection clause allowed racial segregation c. the courts acceptance of african americans right to equal protection d. the courts recognition of the importance of affirmative action programs

B) The courts interpretation of whether the Equal protection clause allowed racial segregation.

Explanation:

In the Plessy vs. Ferguson case (1896) the Supreme Court justices ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for blacks and white citizens were not a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. This allowed for segregated public and private facilities within the US for the next 6 decades.

This all changed with the Brown vs. Board of Education case (1954). In this case, the Supreme Court judges overruled the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and stated that "separate but equal" is a direct violation of the 14th amendment.