The Landmark Case Of Plessy V. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson , a very important case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the ruling, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants, and other public facilities in the American South. In the Plessy decision, the Supreme Court ruled that such segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. This amendment provides equal protection of the law to all U.S. citizens, regardless of race. The court ruled in Plessy that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities for blacks and whites were “equal.”

In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy as seven-eighths white man was arrested for sitting in the “whites” section of the train, as he was one-eighths black. His sitting in the non-colored section of the train was a violation of Louisiana state law that required separate rail cars for whites and blacks. After being arrested, he was taken to court where a judge Ferguson ruled against him. The civil rights organization that Plessy took part of and was defending him was undeterred and took their case to the Supreme Court, placing Ferguson as the defendant.

In order to show how the “separate but equal” doctrine came to be, as a class we created a mock trial of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The idea of separate but equal allowed states to segregate black and white people through public services and accommodations for over 60 years. Despite this idea of equality in the doctrine, many people took advantage of it, as it gave both black and white people an influence on whether they were inferior or superior.

The landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson is a Constitutional case in which it had to be decided who the constitution meant when it said "all men are created equal." This case is very important to our constitution and to the people being governed by the constitution because it brought up issues that hadn't been discussed in the U.S before. This case shows the degree of federalism and how much the government paid attention to it. The amendments in the constitution do not apply to a simple race or ethnicity. Throughout history laws have been made and destroyed at the cost of colored people, in the Plessy v. Ferguson case it is shown that due to the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments all citizens have equal protection under the law. Plessy was denied his right, as well as other colored people because they belonged to different bathrooms, they belonged to different train cars and they belonged to different water fountains at this time in history, but Plessy'

There were many cases during the civil rights movement that helped shape the world into what it is today. By the middle of the twentieth century, black people had long experienced a physical and social landscape of white supremacy, embedded in policy, social codes, and both intimate and spectacular forms of racial restriction and violence. It was time for a change. The Supreme Court made many decisions to change and affect this movement. Some of these these cases are Dred Scott vs. John F.A. Stanford, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Shelley vs. Kraemer.

“The Plessy v. Ferguson verdict solidified the idea of ‘separate but equal’ as a constitutional justification for segregation.” (Document D) Evidently, segregation was not allowed, however, the government and white business owners still found ways around this obstacle and were able to spread the idea of ‘separate but equal’. Finally, African Americans faced discrimination and other obstacles that prevented their success in society. African Americans were discriminated against by multiple organizations and groups.

The case “Plessy v. Ferguson” was a test of a Louisiana law’s constitutionality. It took 50 years to realize it, but the constitutionally and morally right way was to end segregation. This case was never about Plessy not being able to ride on a white only car on a train headed to Covington, Louisiana. It was about a group of black citizens trying to stop segregation from ever

Everyone has the right to be equal with one another, right? Well not In the two cases, "Plessy V. Ferguson" and "Brown v. Board of Education", they show that we are not equal, but how we can fix these issues. These cases show that we are getting closer to complete equality.

The Supreme Court has significant impact on molding the society of the United States, so does it play an important role in the process of the realization of equal protection on the right to education. From Plessy to Brown, every case that had milestone meaning indicated the evolution on the equal protection of the right to education, and also marked the progress of American civilization. However, there are different points between Plessy and Brown. Brown v. Board of Education was educational case of black race, but Plessy v. Ferguson is not it; the result of Plessy is isolation but equal, the Brown show us that

There was no clarification on what race would be considered white or what would be considered black. During this incident, “Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth African American, purchased a rail ticket for travel within Louisiana and took a seat in a car reserved for white passengers. (The state Supreme Court had ruled earlier that the law could not be applied to interstate travel.) After refusing to move to a car for African Americans, he was arrested and charged with violating the Separate Car Act.”(Duignan 2017). Judge Ferguson ruled that the separation was fair and did not violate the fourteenth amendment. The state Supreme Court also backed up this decision. The case was brought to the Supreme Court and "The law was challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that it conflicted with the 13th and 14th Amendments. By a 7-1 vote, the Court said that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between the two races did not conflict with the 13th Amendment forbidding involuntary servitude, nor did it tend to reestablish such a condition." (History.com Staff 2009). This decision set the key precedent of Separate but Equal in the United States. Racial segregation kept growing.

Racism has been a part of our country since the early ages. Historically, racism and equality have been central issues that have divided our country. Many actions from the past such as the decision in the Plessy versus Ferguson case, and present day actions like The Mississippi school system case have been the ongoing battle in today 's society. The struggle to achieve equality was made even more difficult by the legislation that is now considered racist in the Plessy versus Ferguson case.

having children attend school based on the color of their skin was unconstitutional and it damaged children, especially African American children. The Court concluded that it was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to keep individuals separate based on the color of their skin. The decision in Brown was one of extreme importance and significance that could have represented a new start in the Supreme Court regarding civil rights cases.

The Brown v. Board of Education Court Case served as a highlighted issue in black history. Brown v. Board help different races comes together in public schools. This case became very big 1950s lots of attention was drawn to the case at that time. News reporter and critics had different views and opinions about this case. This case in 1954 causes lots of issues and views towards the black race. The quote “separate but equal” is vital due to “Plessy v. Ferguson” and the famous lawyer Thurgood Marshall who argued this case, and the success of this case itself.

The landmark Supreme Court cases of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas have had a tremendous effect on the struggle for equal rights in America. These marker cases have set the precedent for cases dealing with the issue of civil equality for the last 150 years.

America has made notable strides in protecting individual rights through the courts. The right to due process, as established in the fourteenth amendment, was a critical component in securing the civil rights of African-Americans, although the grass roots organization of the Civil Rights movement was required to ensure that African-Americans' rights were actually protected in practice. The U.S. Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education overturned the earlier ruling of Plessey v. Ferguson, which established the infamous 'separate but equal' doctrine. No matter how powerful the politician, he or she must still uphold the laws of the land, and cannot override them based upon his or her political whims. No matter what his or her status, if a