Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy, a black man, considered himself only one eighth black since it was just his great grandmother who was from Africa. One day, he refused to move from the “white” section of a train. He was arrested and jailed overnight. He sued the State of Louisiana for denying his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. Judge Ferguson found that states had the right to regulate railroads that operated within their boundaries. Plessy’s lawyers continued to appeal, ultimately being heard by the Supreme Court of the United States of America. In 1896, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling known as Plessy v. Ferguson in which they created the concept of “separate but equal”. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision …show more content…
Ferguson case result in unequal accommodations for blacks, but it also allowed for more segregation laws to be passed as well as more segregation laws to be passed. John Marshall Harlan, an American lawyer and an attorney general of Kentucky once said, “Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law” (Knappman 218). Harlan was against segregation. He believed that it wasn’t the constitution that was flawed but the interpretation of it. Even a white lawyer realized how unfair these segregation laws were and how poorly blacks were treated. It was clear that whites were living a better life and had many more privileges. They had the opportunity to do simple things that blacks couldn’t do such as drinking out of any water fountain or going to any restaurant they wanted. Black facilities were almost always shoddier than white facilities. Even though slavery was abolished during this time period, African Americans still weren’t free. The law said things must be “separate but equal” but ultimately separate wasn't equal. Furthermore, “segregation became even more ensconced through a battery of Southern laws and social customs known as 'Jim Crow'" after Plessy v. Ferguson ("Slavery by Another Name"). The Jim Crow laws were a series of rules that discriminated against blacks. Some examples of these absurd rules include that white motorists had the right of way at all intersections and blacks were not allowed to introduce whites, only whites could introduce blacks. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision legitimized the Jim Crow laws and encouraged segregation. This series of laws led to violence and destruction to black people and their property. In addition, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision "set the precedent that 'separate' facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were 'equal'" (Wormser). It took fifty-eight years to
Homer Plessy, a black man, considered himself only one eighth black since it was just his great grandmother who was from Africa. One day, he refused to move from the “white” section of a train. He was arrested and jailed overnight. He sued the State of Louisiana for denying his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. Judge Ferguson found that states had the right to regulate railroads that operated within their boundaries. Plessy’s lawyers continued to appeal, ultimately being heard by the Supreme Court of the United States of America. In 1896, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling known as Plessy v. Ferguson in which they created the concept of “separate but equal”. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision …show more content…
Ferguson case result in unequal accommodations for blacks, but it also allowed for more segregation laws to be passed as well as more segregation laws to be passed. John Marshall Harlan, an American lawyer and an attorney general of Kentucky once said, “Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law” (Knappman 218). Harlan was against segregation. He believed that it wasn’t the constitution that was flawed but the interpretation of it. Even a white lawyer realized how unfair these segregation laws were and how poorly blacks were treated. It was clear that whites were living a better life and had many more privileges. They had the opportunity to do simple things that blacks couldn’t do such as drinking out of any water fountain or going to any restaurant they wanted. Black facilities were almost always shoddier than white facilities. Even though slavery was abolished during this time period, African Americans still weren’t free. The law said things must be “separate but equal” but ultimately separate wasn't equal. Furthermore, “segregation became even more ensconced through a battery of Southern laws and social customs known as 'Jim Crow'" after Plessy v. Ferguson ("Slavery by Another Name"). The Jim Crow laws were a series of rules that discriminated against blacks. Some examples of these absurd rules include that white motorists had the right of way at all intersections and blacks were not allowed to introduce whites, only whites could introduce blacks. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision legitimized the Jim Crow laws and encouraged segregation. This series of laws led to violence and destruction to black people and their property. In addition, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision "set the precedent that 'separate' facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were 'equal'" (Wormser). It took fifty-eight years to