“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” (Shakespeare) Some people believe that a person’s destiny is set. The thought is that humans just follow a path blindly as it twists and turns through life, ending at some unknown destination. But there are others that contend that destiny is what they make of it. The Comité des Citoyens (Committee of Citizens) were a group of people from New Orleans who chose to fight for the right for black citizens to choose their own destiny. They believed that could affect change, thereby making the world around them better for themselves and others. The Comité des Citoyens were everyday normal people. There was nothing spectacular to make them stand apart from those around them. What made them extraordinary was the fact that
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The act legally separated the colored people from the whites when riding on trains, and under the Louisiana law, the person in violation of it must either pay a fine of $25 or spend up to twenty days in jail. Plessy argued that the act undermined his rights as a citizen and violated his 13th and 14th amendment rights specifically. The Judge, Ferguson, ruled that, “The state had the right to regulate railroad companies as long as they operated within state boundaries,” (new orleans historical). Plessy was sentenced to pay the $25 or go to jail. The Comité des citoyens had gathered funds for Plessy so he could pay his sentence, but they were not willing to give up yet. They then went to the Louisiana Supreme Court and applied for writs. Again, he argued that the separate car act was unconstitutional, and in January 1893, they denied his applications for writs and upheld the former ruling. Plessy tried one more time to change the path they were going by applying for writs from the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court ended up ruling in favor of Louisiana. This case is where the phrase “separate but equal” was
The act legally separated the colored people from the whites when riding on trains, and under the Louisiana law, the person in violation of it must either pay a fine of $25 or spend up to twenty days in jail. Plessy argued that the act undermined his rights as a citizen and violated his 13th and 14th amendment rights specifically. The Judge, Ferguson, ruled that, “The state had the right to regulate railroad companies as long as they operated within state boundaries,” (new orleans historical). Plessy was sentenced to pay the $25 or go to jail. The Comité des citoyens had gathered funds for Plessy so he could pay his sentence, but they were not willing to give up yet. They then went to the Louisiana Supreme Court and applied for writs. Again, he argued that the separate car act was unconstitutional, and in January 1893, they denied his applications for writs and upheld the former ruling. Plessy tried one more time to change the path they were going by applying for writs from the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court ended up ruling in favor of Louisiana. This case is where the phrase “separate but equal” was