Equality In Plessy V. Ferguson Case

Laws are enforced to provide our society with safety, boundaries, protection of rights, and overall justice. The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights were established years ago to reduce the tensions and conflicts of our newly founded nation. It sought out to accomplish this by providing justice through an equal voice for all citizens. However, this equal voice for justice more often times than not is squandered and diminished. Things such as race, religion, and culture often times blur the lines of the law and fair outcomes in a court. Individuals feel that their beliefs are more important than the protection of rights and the deliverance of law or the law itself cannot go outside of its limitations to provide justice. This is apparent in the court cases of Marbury v Madison, Plessy v Ferguson, and the book To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. These cases clearly exemplify that the law does not always provide justice, although it endeavors to do so.

Sixty-two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional. The decision from the Plessy v. Ferguson case was lawfully denounced by the Brown v. Board of Education. The Brown case, which was initiated by the members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as a stimulus for challenging segregation in all areas of society, especially in public educational institutions. Among the support for the desegregation in school systems, there was a young yet compelling voice who was heard by numerous ears in the rural city in Farmville, Alabama. The virtuous and determined Barbara Johns, who was only a high school student then led her tiny, hovel-like school’s student body and the Farmville community to file a lawsuit in the hope of terminating the inequality in regards to the educational system.

During the court case, Linda became the motivator of racial equality. It is because of her that schools no longer base their judgment of students from racial characteristics. Though Board of Education fought to maintain segregated schools, the act of restricting people based on race was unjust. It took the efforts of a strong girl and her family to bring this controversial issue to the nation. The United States of America was supposed to uphold the idea that “All men are created equal.” Yet, it contradicted itself with its blatantly unequal laws. What kind of equality forces children to be segregated into specific schools? What makes a black American different from a white American besides skin color? By abolishing segregation in schools, future

Plessy v. Ferguson This was a petition filed in the supreme court of Louisiana in 1896, by Homer Plessy, the plaintiff. He filed this petition against the Honorable John H. Ferguson, judge of The petitioner was a citizen of the United States and a descent meaning he had both white and African American ethnic backgrounds. Keep in mind that at this time Blacks were not considered equal to whites.

Most African Americans have faced many injustices, but one court case that can be considered as a major win is Brown versus Board of Education (1965). The case was about how a girl named Linda Brown not being allowed to attend an all-white elementary school. The jurors debated on the fourteen amendment and on the term “separate but equal” (“Brown v. Board of Education”). After many discussions and debate later, court case decision not only gave justice to the little girl, but also to the case regarding Jim Crow like Plessy versus Ferguson that faced injustice of the “separate but equal” which in 1965, “the Supreme Court produced a unanimous decision to overturn Plessy vs. Ferguson” (“Separate Is Not Equal - Brown v. Board of Education”). The case of Brown versus the Board of education was one of the most significant cases because this case was the stepping stone to the justices of previous cases that were ruled against for the fourteen amendment for many minorities. This case shows that peoples’ view point are slowly changing even when discrimination is prevalent; this was not the first time minorities wanted justice for their kids to attend diverse

Every morning, she had to walk 21 blocks to her all-black elementary school. (“Making History…” 1) This was already unfair since there was a better all white elementary school only 7 blocks away. This was because of Plessy v. Ferguson, a case from decades earlier, which made ‘separate but equal’ facilities legal. This allowed white Americans to discriminate, using the better schools, restaurants and even bathrooms. Most funding went to white people since there was very little black representation in the government. Not only was Linda unable to go to the closer school, yet the all-black school was much worse than the all-white school. Many school districts neglected their all-black schools, disobeying the Plessy v. Ferguson case of ‘separate but equal’. One case was especially unfair in Clarendon, South Carolina. Joseph De Laine Jr.’s school had “...10 teachers, almost 800 kids, and no indoor plumbing.” (“Making History…”1) Oliver Brown, Linda Brown’s dad, asked if his daughter could enroll in the closer all-white school since his daughter was walking so far to a worse school than the one near by. The principal refused and soon after, Brown ended up suing. (“Making History…”1) The case eventually ended up in Supreme court among many other controversial lawsuits in the country. This was a very important moment for minorities around the country as they had endured decades of unfair education. A black man was standing up made many people happy- and many people unhappy,

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation in American public schools was unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Until this decision, many states had mandatory segregation laws. Resistance to the new ruling was so widespread that the court issued a second decision in 1955 known as Brown II. The new law ordered school districts to integrate “with a deliberate speed”. Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls were recruited by Daisy Bates, who was President of the Arkansas NAACP. Daisy Bates and others from the NAACP worked with the nine students through counseling sessions and determined that

Board of Education decision was delivered in 1954. Oliver L. Brown first filed a suit against the Topeka Board of Education in 1951. He was upset because he attempted to enroll his daughter, Linda, at Sumner Elementary School, which was a white school, because it was only seven blocks away. However, because of the segregation laws in the South that required segregation in all public facilities, including schools, Linda Brown was forced to attend Monroe Elementary School. This school was four miles away from her home and she had to walk for an hour and twenty minutes before she reached her school (Urofsky 276). Oliver went to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for help after Sumner Elementary turned him away. The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund looked at this case and felt that they were ready to challenge legalized segregation. They reached the Supreme Court in 1953. The Supreme Court Justices finally delivered their decision on May 17, 1954 (Urofsky 281).

Constance Motley contributed in almost every significant civil rights case brought to trial between 1945 and 1965. She was the first African American woman to represent the NAACP in court. Motley’s career with the NAACP would bring her many high profile cases but involved in cases with school unification. She played a main role in the legal research for the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case (Carson 1991, p.246). She was the first black woman to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. She was fighting for the blacks’ rights and she was being pacified aggressive to get them into segregated schools. She was also the lead council in the case. She was part of the case to allow James Meredith to be admitted to the University of

Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 US 537 (1896) was a case in which Homer Plessy (1862-1925) challenged the Supreme Court. Plessy was an African American who had sat in the whites only car on a train. When he was told to go to the Jim Crow car he refused, which broke one of Louisiana's laws, the Separate Car Act. John H. Ferguson (1838-1915) was the judge of the Criminal Court of New Orleans. The defendant was trying to uphold the law that was being backed by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment. Ferguson was an American Louisiana judge/lawyer who served in a lot of cases, but Plessy v. Ferguson was his most well known case.

When this case was taken to state level, it sadly lost the case. They referred to the Plessy vs. Ferguson case. That case had allowed had allowed the separation between black and white. The Plessy Vs. Ferguson case stated that the separation was not violating any law or amendment. The state was allowing the separation because they said “It will better preparing the children for when they get later treated like this when there grown up." During this time, African American weren't allowed to eat in the same restaurants, drink from the same water fountains, or even ride in the same car train as white people. After losing the state case, Oliver and the NAACP didn't stop there. They took it to the next level. Oliver Brown and the NAACP took the

Racism has been a part of our country since the early ages. Historically, racism and equality have been central issues that have divided our country. Many actions from the past such as the decision in the Plessy versus Ferguson case, and present day actions like The Mississippi school system case have been the ongoing battle in today 's society. The struggle to achieve equality was made even more difficult by the legislation that is now considered racist in the Plessy versus Ferguson case.

Slavery has existed for about 245 years, when Africans arrived to America in 1620s. It wasn’t until Dec.6,1865 when slavery officially was brought to an end. Just 150 years ago Africans were being discriminated and being killed for no reason. During this period of slavery, great leaders were born to inspire and put in end to slavery.

The Plessy v Ferguson decision of 1896, was a case that started a racial slur. The Plessy v Ferguson case soon delivered, “separate but equal rights” to African American in public facilities. However, many African Americans did not want to be separate. They wanted the same respect as white Americans. Therefore, when the Brown v Board Education came out in 1954 in Topeka, Kansas and many knew that they had to stand up for their rights. The Brown v Board Education became known when in 1951 Oliver Brown’s was not accepted in an all-white female school because of the color of her skin. The Supreme Court later decided that by law segregation is unequal and violates the fourteenth amendment. Many white Americans were upset about the court’s approval.

On june 7, 1892 Plessy v Ferguson purchased a first class ticket he took possession of a vacant seat in a white car. He was arrested and convicted of violating the 1890 law of having no blacks in a all white car. Plessy v Ferguson challenged the law that it was an illegal arrest.He set a lawsuit against the state of louisiana. Plessy v Ferguson was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black he had the appearance of a white man. Plessy v ferguson and other many other black people were being treated unequally because you could clearly see that all white cars were more well put together than colored people cars. They had white people and colored people separated because of segregation laws put in place. The 13th and 14th amendments had the supreme