The Gilded age was a period of time, from 1865-1901 after the Civil War, when the economy switched from agricultural to industrial. During this age two famous American cases each set premises for the future. Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case in 19th century America that challenged the 13th and 14th Amendments. Louisana just passed the Separate Car Act of 1890 which stated that trains had to provide separate but equal accommodations for passengers. Homer Plessy who was 1/8th black bought a ticket for the white only section on the train to challenge this act.
In 1890 “Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites.” (Oyez). Blacks didn’t agree with this as they believed it went against the reconstruction amendments. For example as stated in the 15th amendment “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state.” (United States, Congress, House).
Plessy v. Ferguson/Background In 1891 a group of people in New Orleans formed the Citizens’ Committee to test the constitutionality of the Separate Car Law. Homer Adolph Plessy, agreed to be the plaintiff in the case, aimed at testing the law’s constitutionality. On June 7, 1892, Plessy bought a ticket on a train and took a seat in a whites-only car. When he was told he had to sit in the car for blacks, he refused.
It is evident that the “Plessy V. Ferguson” trial is directly caused by Plessy's actions. To start, the “Plessy V. Ferguson” trial is directly caused by Plessy's original intentions on the train. Homer Plessy was able to buy a train ticket for only Caucasians. Since Plessy was seven-eighths Caucasian and only one-eighths African American, he was able to pass through as Caucasian. Plessy was asked to move out of the train seat, but when asked he heavily refused the officer.
The Separate Car Act of 1890, allowed the separation of white and non-white passengers under the requirement that the separate train cars would remain “equal, but separate.” On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy, a mixed-race man, sat in a white-only train car as an act of protest that violated the Separate Car Act. Plessy’s protest has drawn attention to the divide between the treatment of Black citizens and the quality of their facilities. In light of the opposition to the Separate Car Act, Plessy brought the case to court arguing that the act was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decided against Plessy 7-1, citing that the intention to make facilities equal made the law constitutional.
The court said Mr. Plessy was found guilty, because the Louisiana law did not violate the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. In conclusion, a 7-1 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of
The case of Plessy v Ferguson in 1896 was a landmark decision in United States history that solidified the legality of segregation and the "separate but equal" doctrine. This ruling has far-reaching implications for African Americans and the civil rights movement as a whole. To fully understand the significance of this case, it is essential to examine the historical context, key figures involved, and the long-lasting impact it had on American society. Historical Context: In the late 19th century, America was still grappling with the aftermath of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
Ferguson was a court case that arose in Louisiana, and it created a drastically different atmosphere in 1896. This court case gave state laws that required black and white people to use separate facilities. The case came into light when Homer Plessy, an African-American, never moved to the “colored only” section on a train. Plessy was said to have had his Fourteenth Amendment violated because the separated facilities were discriminating; however the Court stated that the separate facilities were separate yet equal. Separate yet equal means that people have the same rights, but are separated by their race, religion, and wealth.
Plessy v. Ferguson-The Plessy v. Ferguson trial initially began when the state of Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act in 1890 which made it legal to separate common train carriers. Homer Plessy (a Black man) purposely sat in the Whites- only section in 1892. Homer was shortly arrested and the Plessy v. Ferguson case began. Plessy v. Ferguson was the Supreme Court case that established the “Separate But Equal” laws in the United States in 1896. This decision set the standard that separate facilities (i.e. restrooms, public transportation etc.), for blacks and whites were in fact legal, as long as they were equal in accommodations.
Although Plessy had the appearance of white man, he was required by law to sit in the blacks-only carriage. However, Plessy refused to move to a blacks-only carriage and argued that this segregation law stigmatized blacks "with a badge of inferiority” and that it violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment (McBride). The Fourteenth Amendment forbids the state from denying “…any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (McBride) However, the Supreme Court argued in this case that the Fourteenth Amendment meant equality in political and civil rights and not social rights (McBride).
The supreme court case of Plessy v Ferguson encouraged the Civil Rights to occur because black people wanted to have the experience of being served equally. In 1892 Homer Plessy, a 1/8th black 7/8th white man, was jailed for sitting in a railroad car that was designated only for whites, however in court he stated that the state law was unconstitutional. John Ferguson a Criminal District Judge ruled against him and consequently the case was taken to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the Louisiana law requiring restaurants, hotels,
There was more information supporting Plessy than there was supporting Ferguson, but Plessy was found guilty. Plessy was not guilty though. Plessy got arrested because he sat in a train car specifically for white people. Plessy refused to move to another car for blacks and got arrested (Duignan, Brian). His first court appearance was in 1892.
In the year of 1896, the court case Plessy v. Ferguson made a huge issue of racism; segregation. The court upheld a Louisiana state law requiring public places such as hotels, hospitals, and restaurants to separate people by skin color. Because, the Supreme Court made a decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson that decided it was constitutional as long as they were separate but equal. This made people believe that white people have a higher standard than colored, putting colored people second class due to segregation.
Ferguson of 1896, this court case stated that all public facilities must be segregated, whites and blacks. This court case came about when Homer Plessy would not move from his seat on the bus that was specifically for white people, he was arrested willingly and went to court where the judge John H. Ferguson concluded that it was constitutional to have segregation. The court justified these actions by saying the people were now “separate but equal”, a doctrine adopted by Plessy v. Ferguson, and they also claimed it did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment. The separate but equal doctrine stated equal treatment will be available as well as proper facilities for schooling. The Jim Crow laws helped support this segregation by standing behind the Plessy v. Ferguson case and enforcing racial segregation in public facilities.
In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation does not constitute unlawful discrimination. Previously, the state of Louisiana had established a law that required separate railway cars for white and black people. Homer Adolph Plessy, who was seven-eighths white, took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was arrested. The Supreme Court decided that Louisiana state law is within constitutional boundaries.
