Blake Palmer 10/3/17 Comprehensive Law Studies Fighting Separate But Equal Laws 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." Brown v. The Board of Education is the reason for diversity in schools. These cases are very important to our constitution and to the people being governed by the constitution because it decided the fate of our nation and of our people. They show the degree of federalism and how much attention the government devoted to it. The amendments in the constitution do not apply to a simple race nor ethnicity. Throughout history laws have been made and destroyed at the cost of colored …show more content…
Plessy did not get the arrest overturned even though it was a violation of the 14th amendment where all people are equal under the law and under the government. Paradoxically, the court that didn 't have the arrest overturned saw the constitution as a document that only protected its creators like in the Dred Scott case. They saw it as a document, that was a very important document that kept white citizens equal under the law. In 1841 John Quincy Adams made an argument involving the fact that since the constitution didn 't acknowledge the fact that slaves existed then they must be people who "enjoy" their rights like a free, rich, white male would. In the times of Plessy it was custom of the white people to not accept black or colored people and it was certainly not a time where they could go to school together or sit in the same train car. It was also not a custom of the government to protect the rights and feelings of colored people, this was the purpose of Separate but Equal. Separate but Equal laws were not an effective way for the colored people of this time to be equal, equal is the same not separate, riding in a separate train car is not equal it is not fair, it is not constitutional. The Supreme Court decided to keep the separate but equal laws in their majority decision. The importance and reason for the constitution is to make sure that the people have fair laws and are guaranteed rights no matter the person, race, or
There was no clarification on what race would be considered white or what would be considered black. During this incident, “Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth African American, purchased a rail ticket for travel within Louisiana and took a seat in a car reserved for white passengers. (The state Supreme Court had ruled earlier that the law could not be applied to interstate travel.) After refusing to move to a car for African Americans, he was arrested and charged with violating the Separate Car Act.”(Duignan 2017). Judge Ferguson ruled that the separation was fair and did not violate the fourteenth amendment. The state Supreme Court also backed up this decision. The case was brought to the Supreme Court and "The law was challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that it conflicted with the 13th and 14th Amendments. By a 7-1 vote, the Court said that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between the two races did not conflict with the 13th Amendment forbidding involuntary servitude, nor did it tend to reestablish such a condition." (History.com Staff 2009). This decision set the key precedent of Separate but Equal in the United States. Racial segregation kept growing.
In order to show how the “separate but equal” doctrine came to be, as a class we created a mock trial of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The idea of separate but equal allowed states to segregate black and white people through public services and accommodations for over 60 years. Despite this idea of equality in the doctrine, many people took advantage of it, as it gave both black and white people an influence on whether they were inferior or superior.
The Supreme Court has significant impact on molding the society of the United States, so does it play an important role in the process of the realization of equal protection on the right to education. From Plessy to Brown, every case that had milestone meaning indicated the evolution on the equal protection of the right to education, and also marked the progress of American civilization. However, there are different points between Plessy and Brown. Brown v. Board of Education was educational case of black race, but Plessy v. Ferguson is not it; the result of Plessy is isolation but equal, the Brown show us that
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.”
Everyone has the right to be equal with one another, right? Well not In the two cases, "Plessy V. Ferguson" and "Brown v. Board of Education", they show that we are not equal, but how we can fix these issues. These cases show that we are getting closer to complete equality.
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
In these cases a lot of people were mistreated and judged. They were discriminated because of the color of their skin. Only because they wanted things to be fair, right, and equal. In the Plessy v. Ferguson case there was discrimination. They ignored and discriminated colored people because they were colored. They wanted to seem like they really cared and let them be able to go the same place they go but the colored people
Ferguson case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the case, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants and other public facilities. In the Plessy v. Ferguson case, the Supreme Court that such of a segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The 14th Amendment provided equal protection of law to all U.S. citizens regardless of the citizens race. The court ruled that the Plessy v. Ferguson case was legal as long as black and whites were equal. After this law came to be, public schools, public transportation and other public facilities were made separate; but they never had made these places equal. Equality represents what the United States stands for. We the people work together in marches, protests to oppose discrimination on the basis of race and gender. The Sacco and Vanzetti case showed the world that the how justice system in the United States really was. Sacco and Vanzetti received an unfair trial and were sentenced to death, not due to the evidence being presented, but due to their political beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. As Americans, we tend to be afraid of what happens and due to these fears we forget about what it truly means to be an American. This is the world we live in and quite some times, things are unfair; it’s the way the world
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'
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.
The landmark Supreme Court cases of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas have had a tremendous effect on the struggle for equal rights in America. These marker cases have set the precedent for cases dealing with the issue of civil equality for the last 150 years.
having children attend school based on the color of their skin was unconstitutional and it damaged children, especially African American children. The Court concluded that it was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to keep individuals separate based on the color of their skin. The decision in Brown was one of extreme importance and significance that could have represented a new start in the Supreme Court regarding civil rights cases.
The Brown v. Board of Education Court Case served as a highlighted issue in black history. Brown v. Board help different races comes together in public schools. This case became very big 1950s lots of attention was drawn to the case at that time. News reporter and critics had different views and opinions about this case. This case in 1954 causes lots of issues and views towards the black race. The quote “separate but equal” is vital due to “Plessy v. Ferguson” and the famous lawyer Thurgood Marshall who argued this case, and the success of this case itself.
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.
America has made notable strides in protecting individual rights through the courts. The right to due process, as established in the fourteenth amendment, was a critical component in securing the civil rights of African-Americans, although the grass roots organization of the Civil Rights movement was required to ensure that African-Americans' rights were actually protected in practice. The U.S. Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education overturned the earlier ruling of Plessey v. Ferguson, which established the infamous 'separate but equal' doctrine. No matter how powerful the politician, he or she must still uphold the laws of the land, and cannot override them based upon his or her political whims. No matter what his or her status, if a