Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park was established in Topeka, Kansas, on October 26, 1992, by the United States Congress to commemorate the landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Brown v. Board of Education aimed at ending racial segregation in public schools. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and, as such, violated the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws." The National Historical Park consists of Monroe Elementary School, one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American children in Topeka, and the adjacent grounds. It was originally known as Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site until it was redesignated and expanded on May 13, 2022. The Park will also include Summerton High School and Scott’s Branch High School in Summerton, South Carolina, upon acquisition of property. Five additional schools were authorized as affiliated areas of the National Park Service: Robert Russa Moton School in Farmville, Virginia; Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware; Claymont High School in Claymont, Delaware; Hockessin Colored School #107 in Hockessin, Delaware; and John Philip Sousa Junior High School in Washington, D.C. The National Park Service will not own these sites but will provide financial and technical assistance to exhibit their history. The Brown v. Board of Education case was consolidated with four other cases on school segregation: Briggs v. Elliott (filed in South Carolina), Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (filed in Virginia), Gebhart v. Belton (filed in Delaware), and Bolling v. Sharpe (filed in Washington, D.C.). Inclusion of the history of these schools will show a broader story of educational racism and the legal fight against it. History of the Topeka site The story of Monroe Elementary begins long before the Brown decision. In 1855, John Ritchie, an abolitionist, bought 160 acres (65 ha) from Jacob Chase in Topeka, Kansas. After the Civil War a number of newly freed African Americans came to Topeka and built homes on this land. Due to the sizable African American population, the school board decided to establish a school for black children in the neighborhood. "Ritchie's Addition" became the site of Monroe School. After Ritchie's death in 1887, the land was purchased by the Topeka Board of Education to build a school for African American children. The