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14th Amendment And Discrimination In The 1800s

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Julia Bernstein March 5, 2016
Early American History Mr. Modica

The 14th Amendment and Discrimination

Since the inception of the United States of America, there has been a desire for equality among people, however, the steps to achieve this have been very controversial. In the early 1800’s the fight against discrimination dealt mostly with racial tensions but has evolved to concern many other groups. Not all of these groups have been prevalent since the formation of the Union, but as the country has continued to progress, different perceptions of equality have taken center stage. While the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, assured citizenship for those born in the United States, it also suggested the …show more content…

Plessy v. Ferguson, argued in 1896, stated that Homer Plessy violated the “Separate Car Act” when he sat in a “white” railway car. According to the government, this law still satisfied the pre-existing doctrine, “Separate But Equal” (Jim Crow Stories). The term “Separate but Equal” justified having separate facilities for different races, as long as both races had the same amount of amenities. According to the government, this did not contradict the 14th Amendment as both races were receiving “equal” access to what claimed to be “equal” services, though white facilities were often better kept than black ones. Plessy was arrested for refusing to get up from a seat reserved for white people, and over time, the controversial case made it to the Supreme Court (American History). Plessy argued that the concept of the “Separate Car Act” violates the 14th Amendment because the amendment states that laws do not have the power to take away or jeopardize any of the citizens’ natural rights (PBS.org). Plessy lost the case when the court claimed that the 14th Amendment only protects legal and political equality among all people, but not social equality; this means the 14th Amendment is not responsible for assuring that people are viewed equally in society or that they are receiving equal services or goods, which confirms the “Separate but Equal” concept as constitutional (Cornell University Law

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