What laws established social segregation?

Social segregation in the United States was primarily established through a series of laws known as Jim Crow laws, enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These laws enforced racial segregation in public facilities, schools, transportation, and other aspects of daily life, legitimizing discrimination against African Americans. Additionally, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision in 1896 upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, further entrenching these discriminatory practices.