At the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision,

I believe the answer is that several states had laws requiring segregated schools.

Explanation:

Several states had laws requiring segregated schools, especially in the Southern States where the Jim Crow laws had been enforced for almost a century. Segregation was legal as long as the facilities provided for both White and African Americans were equal. Nevertheless, the Brown v. Board of Education Case (1954) proved that “separate but equal” facilities were in fact, unequal; they were a form of discrimination that instilled a sense of inferiority to African Americans and thus it violated the 14th Amendment, an amendment that guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws.

I hope I helped, please correct me if I'm wrong!

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