What landmark case established the "separate but equal" doctrine in public accommodations?

The case that established the "separate but equal" doctrine in public accommodations is Plessy v. Ferguson. This 1896 Supreme Court decision arose from a legal challenge to Louisiana's segregation laws, specifically regarding railroad cars. The Court ruled that racial segregation did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause as long as the separate facilities for the races were equal in quality. This ruling legitimized state-sponsored segregation and led to widespread discriminatory laws across the United States, particularly in the South, until it was ultimately challenged and overturned by future cases, most notably Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. This context is important to understand how "separate but equal" was used to justify ongoing racial discrimination in various aspects of life, including education and public accommodations.