At the Court, the state of Louisiana argued that “the law was a constitutionally mandated use of the state’s power to secure the public good by preserving the peace and health of the community” (Foote). Plessy argued that the state law which required the railroad company to segregate trains had denied him his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Plessy’s lawyer insisted that the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments created affirmative rights and that the autocratic assignment of racial categories to people perpetuated the features of slavery. The justices were not convinced by this argument. In the seven-to-one majority opinion on May 18, 1896, the Court rejected Plessy’s arguments based on
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Ferguson is relevant to American social diversity today. For starters, Plessy legitimized the move against segregation practices. He inspired those who became prominent figures in the future to take a stand against what seems unjust and fight for what is right for all those who are oppressed, experiencing similar issues. If the court case never took place, it would not have given rise to the court cases that proceeded after repealing the precedent of segregation. As decades passed, the population within the society became more diverse enabling not all, but some people to feel a bit more comfortable with their skin and their environment. However, our society is not perfect. We still experience bits of segregation today. The only difference is that it may no longer be pervasive, but complex, meaning that it is experienced differently based on someone’s identity matrix. Sure there is still racial discrimination present today, as well as the discrimination of gender, religion, sexuality, class, and more. This means that more action must be taken during the coming years being that our society still has a long way in hopes of becoming fully free from discrimination and segregation among different identities within our
Ferguson is relevant to American social diversity today. For starters, Plessy legitimized the move against segregation practices. He inspired those who became prominent figures in the future to take a stand against what seems unjust and fight for what is right for all those who are oppressed, experiencing similar issues. If the court case never took place, it would not have given rise to the court cases that proceeded after repealing the precedent of segregation. As decades passed, the population within the society became more diverse enabling not all, but some people to feel a bit more comfortable with their skin and their environment. However, our society is not perfect. We still experience bits of segregation today. The only difference is that it may no longer be pervasive, but complex, meaning that it is experienced differently based on someone’s identity matrix. Sure there is still racial discrimination present today, as well as the discrimination of gender, religion, sexuality, class, and more. This means that more action must be taken during the coming years being that our society still has a long way in hopes of becoming fully free from discrimination and segregation among different identities within our