The conflict over black equality has been an issue since the Civil War. After the Civil War, equality was slowed by many court cases and state laws. “Separate but Equal” was a term used to demonstrate that white and black people were to be separated, but have the same facilities available. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. The struggle to achieve equality was made difficult by the legislation of racism in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.
Homer Plessy lived in Louisiana and had pale skin. His great grandmother was an African American, so he was classified as black. The “Separate Car Act” stated that whites and blacks had to be separated in different railroad cars. Plessy bought a ticket from Press Street Depot in New Orleans to travel …show more content…
Atticus Finch and his family, were the only people in Maycomb County who did not agree with Jim Crow laws. Atticus demonstrated this by, defending a black man, not allowing his children to say anything against black people, and accepting his black maid, Calpurnia, as an equal in his family. Atticus explains to Jem “the one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.” (chapter 23) The United States guarantees every citizen the right to a fair trial. However, as in To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man did not receive a fair trial. Atticus defended Tom Robinson as best he could because Atticus knew Tom was not guilty. Most people expected Atticus to barely defend Tom since he was defending a black man, but Atticus isn’t prejudice like everyone in the county. He was determined to defend Tom as best as he could, even though he did not expect to win the case. Tom was found guilty, not because he was guilty, but because he was …show more content…
Ferguson, many schools were segregated. Finally in the 1950’s civil rights groups began challenging racial segregation. The most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown’s child wasn't allowed into a white school. Brown stated that black and white schools were not equal. Brown first went to the district court who “dismissed his claim, ruling that the segregated public schools were ‘substantially’ equal enough to be constitutional under the Plessy doctrine.” (PBS) In 1954, Brown appealed to the Supreme Court. The court’s decision was unanimous. They stated that segregation in “public school violates the Equal Protection Clause of the the Fourteenth Amendment which states that ‘no state shall make or enforce any law which shall...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” ? (PBS) The Supreme Court pointed out when Congress wrote the Fourteenth Amendment, they did not specifically state that public schools should be
Homer Plessy lived in Louisiana and had pale skin. His great grandmother was an African American, so he was classified as black. The “Separate Car Act” stated that whites and blacks had to be separated in different railroad cars. Plessy bought a ticket from Press Street Depot in New Orleans to travel …show more content…
Atticus Finch and his family, were the only people in Maycomb County who did not agree with Jim Crow laws. Atticus demonstrated this by, defending a black man, not allowing his children to say anything against black people, and accepting his black maid, Calpurnia, as an equal in his family. Atticus explains to Jem “the one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.” (chapter 23) The United States guarantees every citizen the right to a fair trial. However, as in To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man did not receive a fair trial. Atticus defended Tom Robinson as best he could because Atticus knew Tom was not guilty. Most people expected Atticus to barely defend Tom since he was defending a black man, but Atticus isn’t prejudice like everyone in the county. He was determined to defend Tom as best as he could, even though he did not expect to win the case. Tom was found guilty, not because he was guilty, but because he was …show more content…
Ferguson, many schools were segregated. Finally in the 1950’s civil rights groups began challenging racial segregation. The most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown’s child wasn't allowed into a white school. Brown stated that black and white schools were not equal. Brown first went to the district court who “dismissed his claim, ruling that the segregated public schools were ‘substantially’ equal enough to be constitutional under the Plessy doctrine.” (PBS) In 1954, Brown appealed to the Supreme Court. The court’s decision was unanimous. They stated that segregation in “public school violates the Equal Protection Clause of the the Fourteenth Amendment which states that ‘no state shall make or enforce any law which shall...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” ? (PBS) The Supreme Court pointed out when Congress wrote the Fourteenth Amendment, they did not specifically state that public schools should be