Carley Phelps
Mrs. Holt
Constitutional Law Studies
October 5th, 2017
The Vital Cases Leading to True Equality: Plessy vs. Ferguson & Brown vs. Board of Education
Without two people, by the names of Homer Plessy and Linda Brown, segregation and discrimination based on the color of people's skin may still exist in the country today. As many major events in history lead to the equality America obtains now, there are two imperative Supreme Court cases that stand out most significantly; Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education. Courageously standing up for their rights, both parties were able to voice their opinion, claiming that the laws of segregation violate their rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United …show more content…
According to the Separate Car Act, which divided passengers into different cars by the color of their skin, Plessy was said to be violating the statute. Consequently, he was arrested for sitting in the wrong car of the train, but he found this to be unconstitutional. He argued that this act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, where this case was brought to the Supreme Court on May 18th, 1896. The court decision went 7-1, rejecting Plessy’s claim that this violated his rights under the Constitution as a citizen of the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ferguson, which ultimately accepted and approved the doctrine of “separate but equal”. While on the other hand, Justice Harlan argued that laws separating the races are subsequently convincing society that whites and blacks are not equal, therefore violating the Constitution. The majority believed they were following the Fourteenth Amendment by the “preservation of the public peace and good order” (Summary of the Decision, Plessy v Ferguson). This would hold true to their opinion, as long as the facilities were truly equal in quality and physical appearance. But in Plessy’s case, he believed the Separate Car Act did not establish absolute equality of both races before the law, where the car for black people was of worse quality than the one for whites. This …show more content…
Board of Education, a young girl, Linda Brown, and her sister, had to go walk through danger to get to their bus stop for their segregated school for all black children. This became an issue as their was another school closer in proximity to them, but it was not accessible because of the color of the girls’ skin. Linda Brown and her family brought their case to the district court, stating it was unconstitutional to withhold a child from education just based on their race, violating the Fourteenth Amendment. The Brown family appealed the decision of the Federal District Court, which was that segregation in schools was legal, to the Supreme Court, making the claim that even if facilities were similar, segregated schools would never be equal to one another. The court said that the access to education was “a right which must be available to all on equal terms”, (Summary of the Decision, Brown v Board of Education). The Brown vs. Board of Education was a milestone United States Supreme Court Case, where the Court declared that laws establishing separate schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Linda Brown and her sister, overturning the precedent set by the case Plessy vs. Ferguson. They also stated that public education was essential to life in America and they called it “the very foundation of good citizenship”, (Summary of the Decision, Brown v Board of Education).
Mrs. Holt
Constitutional Law Studies
October 5th, 2017
The Vital Cases Leading to True Equality: Plessy vs. Ferguson & Brown vs. Board of Education
Without two people, by the names of Homer Plessy and Linda Brown, segregation and discrimination based on the color of people's skin may still exist in the country today. As many major events in history lead to the equality America obtains now, there are two imperative Supreme Court cases that stand out most significantly; Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education. Courageously standing up for their rights, both parties were able to voice their opinion, claiming that the laws of segregation violate their rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United …show more content…
According to the Separate Car Act, which divided passengers into different cars by the color of their skin, Plessy was said to be violating the statute. Consequently, he was arrested for sitting in the wrong car of the train, but he found this to be unconstitutional. He argued that this act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, where this case was brought to the Supreme Court on May 18th, 1896. The court decision went 7-1, rejecting Plessy’s claim that this violated his rights under the Constitution as a citizen of the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ferguson, which ultimately accepted and approved the doctrine of “separate but equal”. While on the other hand, Justice Harlan argued that laws separating the races are subsequently convincing society that whites and blacks are not equal, therefore violating the Constitution. The majority believed they were following the Fourteenth Amendment by the “preservation of the public peace and good order” (Summary of the Decision, Plessy v Ferguson). This would hold true to their opinion, as long as the facilities were truly equal in quality and physical appearance. But in Plessy’s case, he believed the Separate Car Act did not establish absolute equality of both races before the law, where the car for black people was of worse quality than the one for whites. This …show more content…
Board of Education, a young girl, Linda Brown, and her sister, had to go walk through danger to get to their bus stop for their segregated school for all black children. This became an issue as their was another school closer in proximity to them, but it was not accessible because of the color of the girls’ skin. Linda Brown and her family brought their case to the district court, stating it was unconstitutional to withhold a child from education just based on their race, violating the Fourteenth Amendment. The Brown family appealed the decision of the Federal District Court, which was that segregation in schools was legal, to the Supreme Court, making the claim that even if facilities were similar, segregated schools would never be equal to one another. The court said that the access to education was “a right which must be available to all on equal terms”, (Summary of the Decision, Brown v Board of Education). The Brown vs. Board of Education was a milestone United States Supreme Court Case, where the Court declared that laws establishing separate schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Linda Brown and her sister, overturning the precedent set by the case Plessy vs. Ferguson. They also stated that public education was essential to life in America and they called it “the very foundation of good citizenship”, (Summary of the Decision, Brown v Board of Education).