Question

instructions
read the question carefully and select the best answer.

what is most closely a central idea of justice brown’s majority opinion?
a. no government should separate people according to race.
b. the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments are powerless to state laws.
c. there is a limit to how much the government can accomplish in promoting equality.
d. the government needs to ensure african - american children can attend white schools.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea of Justice Brown’s majority opinion (from Plessy v. Ferguson), we analyze each option:

• Option A: The Plessy decision upheld racial segregation (separate but equal), so this is incorrect.
• Option B: The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments were relevant, but the opinion didn’t claim they were powerless to state laws; instead, it interpreted them in a way that allowed segregation, so B is wrong.
• Option C: The opinion argued that while the amendments aimed at equality, there were limits to government action in enforcing social equality (distinguishing legal from social equality), making this a central idea.
• Option D: The decision upheld segregation, so the government was not ensuring African - American children attended white schools; D is incorrect.

Answer:

C. There is a limit to how much the government can accomplish in promoting equality.