Jim Crow Laws In The Late 1800s

Historic Context: The late 1800s was a time of racial hardship for many coloured citizens, particularly those who identified as Black. Slavery was recently abolished in the United States and citizens and the government would frequently clash together as people stood up to defend their constitutional rights. In one state, Louisiana, racial tension got so bad that in 1890 the state passed a law mandating separate train cars for people of different races; this law was known as the Separate Car Act. Keep in mind that this law was one of the hundreds passed across the country to uphold the cruel and discriminatory Jim Crow Laws. Being Black during this era meant that you would be subject to great discrimination, segregation, and racial violence.

Plessy, the citizen behind the popular case Plessy v. Ferguson was a ⅞ Caucasian (of French origin) and ⅛ Black man from Louisiana. He wanted to challenge Louisiana’s Separate Car Act which mandated separate train cars for White and Black citizens. On June 7th, 1892, Plessy who was legally considered to be Black, intentionally broke the law by buying a White car first-class train ticket. He knew that historically, Black people like him were subject to second-class treatment through the creation of Jim Crow Laws. Many segregation laws were instigated all throughout the US, including in Louisiana due to this. These laws called for separate, often inferior (though the government considered them equal) facilities for Black people to use. Plessy was one of many who wished to challenge these laws which he knew were unjust. After challenging the Separate Car Act, he was arrested and his case was called Plessy v. Ferguson. This case resulted in the establishment of the “separate but equal” doctrine and segregation facilities were hereby legal. Black people fought for their rights for decades and the Civil Rights Movement starting in 1954 contributed to the abolishment of the “separate but equal” doctrine that was established after Plessy’s

Ferguson was a major setback for civil rights in the United States. Upholding the “separate but equal” doctrine, allowing racial segregation, and encouraging discrimination were all terrible conclusions of how the government limited the rights of its citizens. On a positive note, the outcome of Plessy v. Ferguson served as the basis of the start of the Civil Rights Movement that took place across America during the 1950s and ‘60s. Over time, the Supreme Court realised its bias and began expanding the rights of its citizens through landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education Topeka and ratifying the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, the Court declared segregation in American public schools unconstitutional; the Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination against any race, colour, religion, sex, or origin in many areas of public life, including in education and transportation. Although laws and court decisions have led to significant improvements in racial injustice, problems with race continue to persist in American society. For example, after the brutal murder of George Floyd by policemen, the Black Lives Matter Movement started aimed towards recognising continued racism towards Black people. While Plessy v. Ferguson was a setback for civil rights in the US, subsequent laws and court decisions have expanded citizens’ rights and served as the foundation for fixing racial issues. At the end of the day, the fight for total racial