Plessy V. Ferguson Court 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.

The case “Plessy v. Ferguson” was a test of a Louisiana law’s constitutionality. It took 50 years to realize it, but the constitutionally and morally right way was to end segregation. This case was never about Plessy not being able to ride on a white only car on a train headed to Covington, Louisiana. It was about a group of black citizens trying to stop segregation from ever

Board of Education they talk about white kids schools and colored kid schools. They talk about how it's separate but equal. That they still get a chance at an education but they have to be in a different building. "Chief Justice Earl Warren, reading his first major opinion from the bench, said: "We conclude, unanimously, that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” It really makes sense it's not equal.in this case they were guaranteeing that black kids and white kids would got to the same school. Which would give immediate access to what it would be like. By going to the same school they would experience that they haven't experienced

In the late 1800’s, a series of racial policies went into effect known as the Jim Crow Laws. These laws enforced separate but equal treatment among African Americans and Whites. Established by the use of separate facilities such as, schools, hotels, restaurants, restrooms and transportation, many of us know and understand Jim Crow Laws by one word, “Segregation”. Jim Crow Laws were upheld by the government during the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and were cemented through acts of terror by the people who opposed. Although slavery had been abolished, African Americans were still stripped of their civil rights, which is intended to protect citizens from discrimination by the government and people.

Furthermore, there was a young girl named Linda Brown who attended a school very far away from her house. On the other hand, there is a school not to far from her ,but it’s an all white school. So Linda Brown and her family took it to court saying that blacks not being able to go to any school is a violation of the 14th amendment. The lower courts shut them down so they appealed the case to the Supreme Court. The dissenting opinion was "We conclude that the doctrine of 'separate but equal ' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." —Chief Justice Earl Warren. This was the precedent that was established and the final decision.The majority opinion was “The "separate but equal" doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson has no place in the field of public education.(Find Law)”.Which means that they are saying that since the last case happened on a rail car and not public education it shouldn’t have

By a seven to one vote the United States Supreme Court agreed with the Louisiana law and therefore Homer Plessy was convicted for having violated the law. Justice Henry Brown, the man who wrote the opinion of the Court said that, “A statute which implies merely a legal distinction between the white and colored races – has no tendency to destroy the legal equality of the two races… The

From 1861-1865, the Civil war raged throughout the states, so when it ended the Fourteenth Amendment made provisions for the newly freed slaves with the intention of equality. The Civil Rights act of 1875 stated all races were entitled to equal treatment in public accommodation, so as an act of civil disobedience, Homer Pleassy, a shoemaker, entered a train car for white citizens, sat down, and identified himself as a black man.

In 1890, the Separate Car Act was enacted in the state of Louisiana requiring whites and non-white Americans to travel in separate railway cars. As a result, a passenger, Homer Adolph Plessy took a seat in a “whites only” car in one of the Louisiana trains and refused to move to the “blacks only” car and was subsequently arrested despite being only a eighth black.

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.

Segregation was very common in the North and South Americas during the time of reconstruction. Reconstruction was the time that followed the Civil War. Through the Civil War, African Americans had earned the right to become citizens of the United States and could even vote. However, this was a huge change that the people in the south found it difficult to follow these laws. African Americans still faced racial discrimination. Eventually, segregation took place and African Americans and whites were separated. Many activists during this time attempted to help end segregation. The Plessy vs. Ferguson case is an example of a man trying to end and point out the unfairness of segregation. Plessy was one eighth African American and looked white. However,

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.

1. Plessy v. Ferguson, Guinn v. United States, Buchanan v. Worley all dealt with the Jim Crow laws or Seperate but equal legislation. The Jim Crow laws were laws written to separate blacks and whites in public areas/meant African Americans had unequal opportunities in housing, work, education, and government. Seperate but Equal legislation was the judicial precedent established by in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that enabled states to interpret the equal protection provision of the fourteenth amendment as a means of establishing segregation. The blacks tried to take action to reduce the Jim Crow laws by trying to make life better. They developed universities, churches, political appointments and jobs.

The Jim Crow Law was based on the idea of “Separate but Equal” which impacted the African American people and challenged the Supreme Court’s efforts to give true equality for all. The idea “Separate but Equal” arose after the abolishment of slavery and birth of the Fourteenth Amendment. This new Amendment gave every citizen equal rights no matter the race. However, because of the spread of white resistance, segregation was used to keep the two races separated physically, socially and culturally. But the Plessy v. Ferguson case caused ⅞ % to be the lowest amount of white in a person to be socially considered white. Segregation not only impacted the black, but also biracial people because of this percent standard. Separated facilities such as

Somewhat ironically, while Brown, a Northerner, justified the segregation of the races, Justice John Marshall Harlan, a Southerner from Kentucky, made a lone, resounding, and prophetic dissent. “The Thirteenth Amendment…struck down the institution of slavery [and]…decreed universal civil freedom,” Harlan declared. “Our Constitution is color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.” Harlan's dissent became the main theme of the unanimous decision of the Court in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Justice system today is living proof of the impact Earl Warren had not only on the system itself, but American life also. System wise, the U.S. court system continued Warren’s idea of fairness and faithfulness to the constitution. Education, especially, experienced a huge shift since the case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Because of the Warren court, integration in education is now considered a social norm; and in legal matters, there is no such thing as a majority group in education. Same with all other cases the Warren court have accomplished, the public’s idea of “comfort” has now shifted into more of a liberal stance.