Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 25 views

    On June 7

    Uploaded by

    api-284306099
    Homer Plessy was arrested in 1892 for sitting in the "Whites Only" car of a train, despite being considered black under Louisiana law. He deliberately broke the law to challenge racial segregation in court. The case went to the Supreme Court as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for black and white citizens were constitutional, establishing the precedent of racial segregation. Only Justice Harlan dissented, arguing that the Constitution is colorblind and all citizens are equal under the law. The Plessy decision allowed racial segregation to spread across many areas of public life and was not overturned until 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content

    You might also like

    On June 7

    Uploaded by

    api-284306099
    25 views2 pages
    Homer Plessy was arrested in 1892 for sitting in the "Whites Only" car of a train, despite being considered black under Louisiana law. He deliberately broke the law to challenge racial segregation in court. The case went to the Supreme Court as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for black and white citizens were constitutional, establishing the precedent of racial segregation. Only Justice Harlan dissented, arguing that the Constitution is colorblind and all citizens are equal under the law. The Plessy decision allowed racial segregation to spread across many areas of public life and was not overturned until 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    on june 7

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Homer Plessy was arrested in 1892 for sitting in the "Whites Only" car of a train, despite being considered black under Louisiana law. He deliberately broke the law to challenge racial segregation in court. The case went to the Supreme Court as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for black and white citizens were constitutional, establishing the precedent of racial segregation. Only Justice Harlan dissented, arguing that the Constitution is colorblind and all citizens are equal under the law. The Plessy decision allowed racial segregation to spread across many areas of public life and was not overturned until 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    25 views2 pages

    On June 7

    Uploaded by

    api-284306099
    Homer Plessy was arrested in 1892 for sitting in the "Whites Only" car of a train, despite being considered black under Louisiana law. He deliberately broke the law to challenge racial segregation in court. The case went to the Supreme Court as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for black and white citizens were constitutional, establishing the precedent of racial segregation. Only Justice Harlan dissented, arguing that the Constitution is colorblind and all citizens are equal under the law. The Plessy decision allowed racial segregation to spread across many areas of public life and was not overturned until 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    OnJune7,1892,30yearoldHomerPlessywasjailedforsittinginthe"White"car

    oftheEastLouisianaRailroad.Plessycouldeasilypassforwhitebutunder
    Louisianalaw,hewasconsideredblackdespitehislightcomplexionandtherefore
    requiredtositinthe"Colored"car.HewasaCreoleofColor,atermusedtorefer
    toblackpersonsinNewOrleanswhotracedsomeoftheirancestorstotheFrench,
    Spanish,andCaribbeansettlersofLouisianabeforeitbecamepartoftheUnited
    States.WhenLouisianapassedtheSeparateCarAct,legallysegregatingcommon
    carriersin1892,ablackcivilrightsorganizationdecidedtochallengethelawin
    thecourts.Plessydeliberatelysatinthewhitesectionandidentifiedhimselfas
    black.HewasarrestedandthecasewentallthewaytotheUnitedStatesSupreme
    Court.Plessy'slawyerarguedthattheSeparateCarAct
    violatedtheThirteenthandFourteenth

    AmendmentstotheConstitution.In
    1896,theSupremeCourtofthe
    UnitedStatesheardthecaseand
    heldtheLouisianasegregation
    statuteconstitutional.Speakingfor
    asevenmanmajority,JusticeHenry
    Brownwrote:"Astatutewhich
    impliesmerelyalegaldistinction
    betweenthewhiteandcoloredraces
    hasno
    tendencytodestroythelegalequalityofthetworaces....Theobjectofthe
    FourteenthAmendmentwasundoubtedlytoenforcetheabsoluteequalityofthetworaces
    beforethelaw,butinthenatureofthingsitcouldnothavebeenintendedtoabolish
    distinctionsbaseduponcolor,ortoenforcesocial,asdistinguishedfrompolitical
    equality,oracomminglingofthetworacesupontermsunsatisfactorytoeither."
    JusticeJohnHarlan,thelonedissenter,sawthehorrificconsequencesofthe
    decision."OurConstitutioniscolorblind,andneitherknowsnortoleratesclasses
    amongcitizens.Inrespectofcivilrights,allcitizensareequalbeforethelaw....
    Thepresentdecision,itmaywellbeapprehended,willnotonlystimulateaggressions,
    moreorlessbrutalandirritating,upontheadmittedrightsofcoloredcitizens,but
    willencouragethebeliefthatitispossible,bymeansof
    stateenactments,todefeatthebeneficentpurposes
    whichthepeopleoftheUnitedStateshadinviewwhen
    theyadoptedtherecentamendmentsoftheConstitution."
    ThePlessydecisionsettheprecedentthat"separate"
    facilitiesforblacksandwhiteswereconstitutionalas
    longastheywere"equal."The"separatebutequal"
    doctrinewasquicklyextendedtocovermanyareasof
    publiclife,suchasrestaurants,theaters,restrooms,
    andpublicschools.Thedoctrinewasafiction,as
    facilitiesforblackswerealwaysinferiortothosefor
    whites.Notuntil1954,intheequallyimportantBrown
    v.BoardofEducationofTopeka,wouldthe"separatebut
    Thesignificanceofthe
    HighCourt'srulinginPlessy
    v.Ferguson.

    equal"doctrinebestruckdown.
    RichardWormser

    You might also like