De Jure segregation refers to a situation where racial or ethnic groups are legally required to be separated. It involves explicit laws and government policies that enforce separation based on race or ethnicity.
Related terms
Jim Crow laws: These were state and local laws in the United States that enforced racial segregation after Reconstruction until the mid-20th century.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This Supreme Court case established the "separate but equal" doctrine, allowing for racially segregated facilities as long as they were deemed equal in quality.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954): In this landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated public schools were unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine.