Before the Union victory in 1865, Congress assembled for the challenges the United States would face at the war’s end, particularly the integration of four million emancipated African Americans into the country. The Congressional Reconstruction period generated the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments into the United States Constitution. These amendments extended legal and civil protections to former slaves. These three amendments were foundation of the civil rights movement; because it gave new constitutional protections to African Americans, though the struggle to fully achieve equality would continue into the future, it led the civil rights movement on to the right path.
The Thirteenth amendment¹ was formed in 1865, it stated
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The primary goals of the movement were to end segregation across America, desegregate schools and other public facilities, reverse to notion “separate but equal”, and achieve overall equality. Shortly after the Fourteenth amendment was passed, America erupted with opinions due to the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. Plessy v. Ferguson was a U.S. Supreme Court case that supported the right for states to pass laws allowing racial segregation in public and private institutions such as schools, public transportation, restrooms, etc. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was important in the course of United States history, because its outcome upheld the belief that racial segregation was legal under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Court held segregation as legal under the Fourteenth Amendment, Equal Protection Clause. The clause explained that "no state shall... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."(Equal Protection Clause 1868) The decision validated the action of segregation and the proliferation of the Jim Crow laws. This was a major part of what the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's & 60's hoped to terminate. Ultimately, Plessy v. Ferguson, (1896) was rescinded by Brown v. Board of Education, 347 US 483
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.
Plessy v. Ferguson , a very important case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the ruling, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants, and other public facilities in the American South. In the Plessy decision, the Supreme Court ruled that such segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. This amendment provides equal protection of the law to all U.S. citizens, regardless of race. The court ruled in Plessy that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities for blacks and whites were “equal.”
The landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson is a Constitutional case in which it had to be decided who the constitution meant when it said "all men are created equal." This case is very important to our constitution and to the people being governed by the constitution because it brought up issues that hadn't been discussed in the U.S before. This case shows the degree of federalism and how much the government paid attention to it. The amendments in the constitution do not apply to a simple race or ethnicity. Throughout history laws have been made and destroyed at the cost of colored people, in the Plessy v. Ferguson case it is shown that due to the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments all citizens have equal protection under the law. Plessy was denied his right, as well as other colored people because they belonged to different bathrooms, they belonged to different train cars and they belonged to different water fountains at this time in history, but Plessy'
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were passed to protect feed people’s natural rights. This process of protecting was the whole concept of “reconstructing America”. At first a majority of the states did not agree with these new laws, but by 1870, all of the former Confederate states had accepted them and were admitted into the union once again. Once Reconstruction ended in 1877, society slowly went back to a strong racist background and former slaves were once again in servitude. This time, even harsher discrimination against the Blacks were introduced by enforcing state segregation. Reconstruction only caused the nation to become worse.
1. Plessy v. Ferguson was decided after a period of time where African Americans were granted more rights and freedoms under the law. During Reconstruction (1865-1877), African Americans were allowed to hold public office and vote. Some areas of the South had African American communities that were economically sufficient. After reconstruction ended, the "white man's government" resumed upon the withdrawal of Northern troops and the assistance of the Freedmen's Bureau. Jim Crow laws were passed that placed African Americans in a second class citizenship. This "flip-flop" between no rights (slavery), Reconstruction era rights, and no rights again (Jim Crow) is justifiably frustrating.
7 out of 8 judges in the Plessy vs. Ferguson case said that segregation was constitutional. The Supreme Court Case between Homer Adolf Plessy and John Howard Ferguson. The object of the case was to try to decide whether or not segregation was constitutional. Mr. Plessy was 30 years old when the case started. He was the prosecutor in the case. The case was originally called “Plessy v. The State of Louisiana”. Homer Adolf Plessy was a determined man who worked hard at abolishing segregation base on your race and would do anything, including getting arrested, to get the message out that segregation was a bad thing, and it needed to come to an end.
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.
Social and economic challenges played significant parts in drafting constitutional amendments and molding civil rights of individuals during the Reconstruction Era. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were recognized as the Civil War Amendments because they were put in place directly following the war. The purpose of them was to ensure the end of slavery and give recently emancipated slaves equal protections and rights. The Thirteenth Amendment was first put in place to abolish slavery and all forms of involuntary servitude except for penance of a crime.
Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court case that took place in 1896. It made segregation legal in public places and didn’t violate the fourteenth amendment. Plessy v. Ferguson ruling allows “separate but equal” doctrine if provided with equal service for all parties. The Grandfather Clause helped people who didn’t have the requirements to vote, vote unless their ancestors had voted before 1867.
The 1896 Plessey v. Ferguson Supreme Court case marks a significant point in history where the segregation of African Americans’ and white Americans’ was upheld as constitutional, provided the facilities were equal. Over 50 years after that decision, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling renounced the previous stating that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. History shows that the integration of public schools was a protracted process, wherein many states tried to fight back against this integration of public schools. Today, many believe that segregation is an issue of the past, but observation would say otherwise. Activists and researchers are discovering and fighting against the effects of racially and socioeconomically
In 1896, a court ruling “Plessy vs Ferguson” this court was never equal. According to the text, when black people where in bus, store restaurants, and in schools it was never equal. Also the war end in 1965 when the civil war happened.
Positive outlasting effects this war held on the nation came from the changes made during the Reconstruction Era which followed the war itself. The Civil War is significant because it served to restore the union and reunite the confederacy with the northern states. The very idea of fighting in order to preserve ‘a more perfect union’ worked to establish sentiments of patriotism through the country. In addition, the amendments passed during the Reconstruction Era served as the first steps on the road of gaining equality for African-Americans. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments directly worked to enhance the status of African Americans and other minorities. These amendments promised abolishment of ‘slavery and involuntary servitude’, it guaranteed citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, and assured voting rights to all citizens. Amendments which later played a
In 1862 entering the third year in the course of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as a tactic to have African American’s serve in the war. This proclamation declared that all slaves living in rebellious states would be freed. This gave way to the 13th amendment which was passed in 1865 and eradicated slavery. The 14th, and 15th amendments followed soon after in the constitution of the United States as a set of amendments intended to establish equality for the newly emancipated slaves. As part of these agreed upon amendments, African American’s were granted citizenship, reclaimed the right to vote and were guaranteed equal protection of the laws. As a result of these new alterations to the constitution, fear quickly arose among whites. Motivating whites to become creative and develop new methods to control the imminent threat to economic,
After the American Civil War (1861-1865), major changes which were crucial to the establishment of African Americans in the American society took place. Before the bloody war, slaves were comprised of thirteen percent of the total population of the United States. The treatments they receive from their masters ranged from generous to abusive. The issue of slavery was becoming more and more apparent in social, economic, and most importantly political aspects of the country. In fact, even before the war started, slavery was determined to be one of the main points of conflict between the Northern and the Southern states. After the war ended, various constitutional amendments were passed to end slavery and guaranteed the status of American citizenship to the former slaves and any other free African Americans. The amendments, which were accepted largely due to the influence of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on both the Northern and Southern states, would be the motivational catalyst for the Civil Rights movements and the African American’s rise to their deserved status in the United States.
I like the way you summary and analyze these cases. I discover that it usually depends on the judge to decide whether to give the Indians the corresponding right. I am surprised about the Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896, in which the judge supported the racial segregation, and that is to say, he believed the white was superior to the black. The whole society was full of a sense of unfairness and oppression. I agree with what you said about Winters v. United States, 1908. This case clarified the rights of the Indians, especially the water right. This is important because water is significant for their survival and life.