Plessy Vs Ferguson Essay

Elaine Lin

Mr. Sebold

Section #4

The ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson was racially-biased, prejudiced, unjust, and controversial. Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws throughout the United States that enforced racial discrimination and segregation. They were introduced in the 1800s, in the Southern parts of the United States. One of the most important cases about Jim Crow Laws was Plessy v. Ferguson. Plessy v. Ferguson was one of the most problematic Supreme Court cases. The case was brought up by Homer Plessy, who had been arrested for sitting in a “whites-only” part of a train. He claimed that this violated his 13th amendment rights. However, the court ruled that racial segregation did not violate the United States Constitution, as although

Ferguson decision allowed segregation to spread in America. The Supreme Court’s support of “separate but equal” made segregation more acceptable. Jim Crow Laws and segregation were so widely spread, that every state knew about them, and adopted them. “Any state, Brown continued, could exercise laws that separated people based on race if it was ‘reasonable.’ The court also gave legal precedent for the states to self-regulate what was ‘reasonable’ or not.” (Jim Crow Laws). This expresses that every state had to make its own decisions on reasonableness, which ultimately led to further segregation and discrimination. The ruling established racial segregation that had a long-lasting effect in the United States. “For over half a century, these rulings continued to tear apart black and white communities within the South, eating away at any hopes of equality and peacefulness between them.” (Plessy vs. Ferguson: Separate isn’t Equal). Segregation was accepted widely, and over 50 years, hopes of equality diminished. The decision of Plessy v. Ferguson allowed segregation to spread because states were allowed to regulate segregation based on “reasonableness” and segregation was accepted for over 50

Ferguson impacted later discrimination and cases. This is because the Supreme Court’s decision inspired people to fight for civil rights and racial desegregation.“‘Separate but equal’ and Jim Crow remained unchallenged until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”(Jim Crow and Plessy v. Ferguson). This proves Plessy v. Ferguson was unsuccessful, and the ruling spread through America, because of its impact on the Civil Rights Act and Brown v. Board of Education. The Civil Rights Act is now a public law, and Brown v. Board of Education became another famous Supreme Court Case. This shows that the Supreme Court’s decision influenced the spread of Jim Crow laws. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision has had a lasting impact. “Sadly, as a result of the Plessy decision, in the early twentieth century the Supreme Court continued to uphold the legality of Jim Crow laws and other forms of racial discrimination.”(Separate but Equal). This shows that the “separate but equal” doctrine has spread across the United States, even in the twentieth century. Although the ruling was made in 1896, it continues to allow racial discrimination, even now. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision had a negative outcome that can still be seen in ways