Plessy v.

Ferguson (1896)

The plaintiff is Plessy and the defendant is Ferguson. Plessy was arrested and denied his equal
protection rights under the 14th amendment. This violated his 13th amendment rights because it
had features of slavery. Plessy looked white and was 7/8ths white but was still asked to sit in the
black section so he refused.

The court decided on a 7-1 vote. The majority opinion, given by Henry Brown, said there
needed to be a distinction between political and social equality. The dissenting opinion was
given by John Marshal Harlen. It said that what appears to be is not what is reality.

This case created the separate car act. This case was overturned in 1954 by the case of Brown
v. Board of Education.