Martin Luther King Jr. once stated "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." (“Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes at BrainyQuote.com”) This quote connects with some cases that happened well before the Civil Rights, because the court rulings gave one race more accommodations than another race. The cases decided that African Americans had to go to different schools and even use different water fountains. One case dealt with a slave living in "free" territory. The reason racism still exists is because people continue to believe that some races are better than other races: Dred Scott vs Sanford, Plessy vs Ferguson, Shelly vs Kraemer.
In the Dred Scott vs Sanford case, Dred Scott and his wife sued for their freedom from slavery. They fought in an 11 year legal struggle just to be free, but lost that battle. As the case was on its way to Supreme Court it grew in significance. The Supreme Court declared that slaves were not US citizens and could not be protected from the federal government. By this decision the US was one step closer to the civil war.
Similarly, the Plessy vs Ferguson case
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The Dred Scott case took us back a step by taking away a colored person 's right of freedom awarded to any US citizen. Similarly, the Plessy vs Ferguson case declared that every race needs their own separate school, theater, restaurant, etc. Finally, the Shelley vs Kraemer case ruled that black people can not be sold a house or property. In summary, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"(“Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes at BrainyQuote.com”) stated by Martin Luther King Jr. is the banner fought for the civil