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Plessy Vs. Ferguson Law Decided In 1896

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Decided in 1896, the Plessy v Ferguson law was a landmark constitutional law case of the US Supreme Court. This case upheld state segregation laws for public places under the belief of the slogan “separate but equal.” It all began when Homer Plessy purchased a first class ticket to travel from New Orleans to Covington, La, taking a vacant seat in a white only car. This was ironic because he was seven eighths percent white and one out of eight percent black. He was arrested for breaking the law of 1890 stating that colored and whites have to sit in separate car’s riding a train due to the slogan separate but equal; emphasizing that everyone has the right to ride a train as long as they sit different cars (McBride, 2007). Plessy was then brought
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Ferguson (U.S. Supreme Court, 1896) 1. Facts: -The plaintiff, Plessy, was a mixed race Louisiana resident with mostly Caucasian descent and “one-eighth African blood” (p. 1). -Plessy considered himself to be rightfully allowed the same rights as those who were White and purchased a first class ticket for a train, therefore sitting with White passengers.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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The White cars were nicer and cleaner than the Black cars. Judge John Howard Ferguson had recently ruled the law “unconstitutional on trains that traveled through many states,” but in this case, Judge Ferguson ruled that Plessy was guilty because the state had the right to regulate railroad companies that run only in the state. Mr. Plessy then appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Louisiana which also went against him, saying the separate but equal law was constitutional. Plessy finally appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, because he still believed that the “separate but equal” law violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, because it did not treat Blacks and Whites equally. However, in 1896, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that Homer Plessy was guilty.

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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.

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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.

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The Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case challenged segregation laws. The Plessy v. Ferguson case started when Homer Plessy was arrested for disregarding a segregation law. Plessy was arrested because he “refused to sit in a Jim Crow car, breaking a Louisiana law” (Plessy v. Ferguson). This explains that Plessy was arrested for not following the segregation law that he knew about but denied to comply to.

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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.

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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).

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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,

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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.

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Plessy v. Ferguson, argued in 1896, stated that Homer Plessy violated the “Separate Car Act” when he sat in a “white” railway car. According to the government, this law still satisfied the pre-existing doctrine, “Separate But Equal” (Jim Crow Stories). The term “Separate but Equal” justified having separate facilities for different races, as long as both races had the same amount of amenities. According to the government, this did not contradict the 14th Amendment as both races were receiving “equal” access to what claimed to be “equal” services, though white facilities were often better kept than black ones. Plessy was arrested for refusing to get up from a seat reserved for white people, and over time, the controversial case made it to the Supreme Court (American History).

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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.

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