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Plessy V. Ferguson Case Analysis

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After Reconstruction, African-American rights gained during that period withered, as many states did not enforce the laws enacted to guarantee their rights. If they happened to live in the South, their rights were as good as gone. Not only did those states not impose the laws, they circumvented it and created a new system of oppression for Blacks and other colored people. Moreover, the infamous ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) made racial segregation legal in public accommodations. The fight for equal education for students regardless of their race was a long battle and it extended into the Deep South state of Texas. Sweatt v. Painter was among a number of important legal cases that occurred during the twentieth century, in which African-Americans …show more content…

Ferguson (1896) case. In the test case, Homer Plessy violated Louisiana’s Separate Car Act, and unsuccessfully challenged the law. His defense argued that the state law was a violation of both the Thirteenth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. The first law dealt with the citizenship of Blacks, while the second demanded equal protection under the laws for all citizens. In the near unanimous vote, the Supreme Court upheld the Louisiana law. Within the opinion they argued that, “Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.” Because of the Supreme Court words, the blatant denial of Black rights would continue for many years until its reversal. Jim Crow was word used to describe the collection of new laws enacted to suppress African-American rights. Not only had the court’s ruling not only gave credence to the law, but it had also allowed public places to enact segregation against colored people. Having a significant impact on African-Americans lives, Jim Crow effectively marked their place as second-class citizens in America. They had limited political power, subjected to unfair treatment in the courthouses, and had unequal education. The latter problem would be a huge issue for African-Americans as they struggled to gain admittance into state colleges. Indeed, their …show more content…

Given that the state was in the South, it was not surprising that the state instituted racial segregation. In the book, “Before Brown: Heman Marion Sweatt, Thurgood Marshall, and the Long Road to Justice” by Gary M. Lavergne, he discussed the entirety of the Sweatt v. Painter case. Lavergne says of Texas, “There were no provisions for what was called “Negro education” of any kind in the Constitution of 1836.” This would soon change after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, the state revised their constitution to include provisions concerning Black education. It was far from equal as the state only used African-Americans funds to support their education. More likely than not, they were poor so the funding for the school paled in comparison when compared to funding for Whites. Although, revisions in the Texas constitution made public education better for Blacks, however, it did not specify higher education. In fact, after the state gain readmission into the Union, the laws shifted again. What was different this time around was that Texas did not have any obligation to ensure their Black citizens equal education. For instance, in article VII, section 14, it discussed the formation of a Black university but it had stipulations. First, the creation of such school was at the legislature discretion, “when deemed practicable”. Next, the funding of the school was severely limited

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