Compare And Contrast Plessy V Ferguson

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Although the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln and the conclusion of the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the United States, these events did not end racism in the U.S. With the rise of organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, who were determined to maintain their ideology of white supremacy in the United States, and the lack of protection for violence, African Americans were facing tough times. Although the 14th Amendment, which was passed in 1868, dictated equal rights and protection for all citizens of the United States, the 1896 ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson went against this amendment. The Supreme Court ruling of “Separate but Equal” in Plessy v Ferguson was both biased against Plessy and went …show more content…

Plessy V Ferguson gave many southern states the right to implement segregated schools, public transportation, and public places under “Separate but Equal” (Fireside, 99). Brown V Board of Education, which was argued 56 years after Plessy V Ferguson, argued against the segregation of children in public schools based solely on race. To reach a decision the justices in this case found that they could not abide by the precedent set by Plessy V Ferguson and had to look at the effect that segregation had on those in public schooling (“Brown V Board of Education”). And so the decision made by the Supreme Court was impacted greatly by evidence which found that segregation had a detrimental psychological impact on colored students as well as harmful effects on their educational and mental development. Chief Justice Warren said that the main role of public education was to cultivate “cultural values” and “good citizenship” (Irons, 398). In the end the Supreme Court ruled that “Separate but Equal” had no place in public education (Brown V Board of Education). The court’s unanimous ruling proved that the decision made in Plessy V Ferguson which dictated “Separate but Equal” was both morally and constitutionally wrong, for the justices found that segregation between the white and colored races indicated the inferiority of the African American race (Brown V Board of