Plessy Vs Ferguson Essay

“Racism is man’s gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). During the Jim Crow Era, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, African Americans never actually had fair trials because of the strong brutality and discrimination used against them. One specific example of a trial was the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Plessy refused to get off the train and broke the Separate Car Act which claimed that both black and white races needed to sit in their designated area on the train. Denying Ferguson’s wishes, Plessy was arrested and convicted to where he had to testify in court against Ferguson. Without the many disparities that whites continuously pointed out during this time period, there would be equality throughout the nation between African Americans and caucasians. First and foremost, whites and blacks were seen as exact opposites of each other. In other words, whites were known as superior to all others, while blacks were known as inferior. Think about how blacks were treated outside court rooms. There

They are convinced that all cases are a fair way to gain back basic individual rights and “without fair trials, trust in justice and in government collapses” (Fair Trials). However, if there are multiple cases that determines the winning side by one’s race, is it really fair? The Plessy v. Ferguson case, for instance, Justice John Harlan comprehensively explained how the way Plessy was treated was unnecessary and inequitable. Yet, the jury blatantly denied and took no notice of any of Harlan’s claims that were made (Costly). This is a prime example of how unjust and prejudice a court room full of people can be. What needs to be done is for everyone to accept the right to a fair trial as a law and respect it, as