Plessy Vs Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a major Supreme Court case that set the precedent for racial segregation under the doctrine of “separate but equal”. The defense stated that the terms set by the 14th Amendment to enforce equality were strictly political did not extend to social or cultural distinctions; therefore, a separation of races was constitutional and did not imply inferiority. Such a verdict carried heavy implications for worsening race relations, especially within the sphere of public education. Following the court decision, black schools were consistently underfunded and provided with subpar textbooks, supplies, and buildings.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) reversed this ruling, declaring educational segregation unconstitutional

Ferguson reflects a racial bias common for its period in American history, one seen repeatedly in segregation laws up until Brown v. Board challenges this. Both examined the 14th Amendment, specifically the Equal Protection Clause, in a push for equal conditions for blacks. Both were decided by a landslide vote, yet only Brown v. Board generated controversy at the legislative level and took much longer to fully implement. Governors and school boards alike reacted negatively to the court decree. In 1957, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus deployed the state National Guard to bar the Little Rock Nine from attending. Conversely, only John Marshall Harlan voiced significant dissent to the Plessy v. Ferguson

Ferguson and Brown v. Board represent two major milestones in American race relations on opposite sides of the spectrum of progress. Following the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, Jim Crow laws were essentially authorized under Supreme Court decree and marked a dark period of segregation entering the 1900s. Public facilities, like education, were blatantly insufficient and underfunded for blacks nationwide under the guise of “separate but equal” doctrine. However, a multitude of factors in the early 20th century resulted in major accomplishments by the 1950s with the aid of prominent figures like the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr. to improve American society for the better. Despite nationwide resistance from both local and national government, Brown v. Board was the beginning of the end for segregated America. The Little Rock Crisis marked the height of racial tensions on a political scale, with the 101st Air Division being called in to enforce the Supreme Court ruling. The sacrifices made by the Little Rock Nine paved the way for the equality-driven education standards we take for granted in modern times. For example, affirmative action policy was started in the 60’s by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as a way to combat discrimination and support the racial minorities within American society. Despite the controversy it generates today, Affirmative Action has put traditionally underrepresented ethnic groups through school in an otherwise