The Fight for Equality
African Americans have been one of the most, possibly even the most, discriminated racial groups in the United States. Starting out as slaves shipped from Africa, African Americans lived a life of, to put it mildly, strenuous labor and gut wrenching abuse with absolutely no reward. Although they were eventually freed, they still endured years of segregation, discrimination, prejudice, and limited rights. Even today, after years of effort put into the expansion of rights to African Americans, many blacks in America face severe discrimination. Some of the most important, but not necessarily helpful, events in the expansion of rights to African Americans include the following U.S Supreme Court cases: Plessy v. Ferguson …show more content…
Ferguson, a landmark U.S Supreme Court case in 1896, stemmed from the notorious “separate but equal” doctrine. The state of Louisiana initially adopted a law providing for separate accommodations for whites and colored races on its railroads. This meant that people of color were kept separately from white people when riding a train; at the time, this form of racial segregation was common. In 1892, African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit separate from the white people due to the fact that his constitutional rights were violated. When this law was challenged, the Supreme Court rejected Plessy’s argument and stated that the state law merely implied a legal distinction between white people and people of color and, therefore, it did not conflict with the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. This decision set back African American civil rights in the U.S by validating the “separate but equal” laws, ones that are most definitely unconstitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson gave people the prejudice perception that racial segregation is …show more content…
Through years of discrimination, two of the most important events in the expansion of rights to African Americans are the Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education cases. Plessy v Ferguson established the infamous “separate but equal” doctrine that allowed many public facilities, including schools, to be racially segregating. However, Brown v. Board of Education rejected the highly unconstitutional doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, eliminating racial segregation in public schools and state-supported segregation. Although racial discrimination still occurs today, those two cases were some of the most important events in African Americans’ fight for
African Americans have been one of the most, possibly even the most, discriminated racial groups in the United States. Starting out as slaves shipped from Africa, African Americans lived a life of, to put it mildly, strenuous labor and gut wrenching abuse with absolutely no reward. Although they were eventually freed, they still endured years of segregation, discrimination, prejudice, and limited rights. Even today, after years of effort put into the expansion of rights to African Americans, many blacks in America face severe discrimination. Some of the most important, but not necessarily helpful, events in the expansion of rights to African Americans include the following U.S Supreme Court cases: Plessy v. Ferguson …show more content…
Ferguson, a landmark U.S Supreme Court case in 1896, stemmed from the notorious “separate but equal” doctrine. The state of Louisiana initially adopted a law providing for separate accommodations for whites and colored races on its railroads. This meant that people of color were kept separately from white people when riding a train; at the time, this form of racial segregation was common. In 1892, African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit separate from the white people due to the fact that his constitutional rights were violated. When this law was challenged, the Supreme Court rejected Plessy’s argument and stated that the state law merely implied a legal distinction between white people and people of color and, therefore, it did not conflict with the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. This decision set back African American civil rights in the U.S by validating the “separate but equal” laws, ones that are most definitely unconstitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson gave people the prejudice perception that racial segregation is …show more content…
Through years of discrimination, two of the most important events in the expansion of rights to African Americans are the Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education cases. Plessy v Ferguson established the infamous “separate but equal” doctrine that allowed many public facilities, including schools, to be racially segregating. However, Brown v. Board of Education rejected the highly unconstitutional doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, eliminating racial segregation in public schools and state-supported segregation. Although racial discrimination still occurs today, those two cases were some of the most important events in African Americans’ fight for