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Social Issues In The Court Case Of Plessy V. Ferguson

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Introduction Throughout history, racism, conflict, and struggle have all been a part of the way the United States has grown. Many movements surrounding these aspects of controversy have warned down on the way Americans see social issues. These issues are relevant in society today due to increased tensions over issues such as the Black Lives Matter movements. However, it is important to go back to the end of the 19th century to discover where the separation of races and issues over African American rights truly began. The event and time being 1896 with the controversial court case of Plessy v. Ferguson. For those that do not know Plessy ruled in favor of “separate but equal” for the public facilities of white and black individuals. Not only did the ruling affect parks and restaurants but also, more importantly, …show more content…

Schools began to separate off races with the primary issues becoming lack of truly “separate but equal” facilities. Many African American schools were literally falling apart during classes. The underfunding of these schools was incredible due to the lack of qualified teachers available in addition to the number of resources present. The issues that arise from the court case make some believe that there is a bigger issue at hand. Underneath it all, there is a human rights violation present within the context of the court’s ruling. Which leads many to believe that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclamation that “everyone has the right to education, maintaining that it will be free at least in the elementary and fundamental stages” was broken by the court's decision to make schools “separate but equal.” This acquisition draws on the idea that African Americans were not granted the same level and quality of education as white students during this period. Ultimately all this information leads me to believe that the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling infringed upon

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The Court declined his argument. The Court determined that the segregated schools were considerably equal enough under the Plessy doctrine. It wasn 't until the mid twentieth century when Brown v Board of Education came into play that Plessy’s argument was given the okay by the constitution. The Court tried to use Plessy v. Ferguson to deny the argument that Oliver Brown was giving during the Brown v. Board of Education case. Once the Courts decided that separating children by race could have an overall affect on the black children 's ability to learn.

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233 Words | 1 Pages

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).

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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 case was passed in 1896. “This decision approved segregation of the races as being consistent with the 14th amendment and formulated the doctrine of "separate but equal" facilities. It served as a legal basis for segregation in education. The case arose when one Homer A. Plessy, who was 7/8ths caucasian and 1/8th negro, was arrested for entering a railroad coach reserved for whites and refusing to sit in a segregated couch for negroes. The court, speaking through Justice Henry B Brown, found that these "separate but equal accommodations" satisfied the demands of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

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For nearly a century, the United States was occupied by the racial segregation of black and white people. The constitutionality of this “separation of humans into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life” had not been decided until a deliberate provocation to the law was made. The goal of this test was to have a mulatto, someone of mixed blood, defy the segregated train car law and raise a dispute on the fairness of being categorized as colored or not. This test went down in history as Plessy v. Ferguson, a planned challenge to the law during a period ruled by Jim Crow laws and the idea of “separate but equal” without equality for African Americans. This challenge forced the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of segregation, and in result of the case, caused the nation to have split opinions of support and

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Stanford, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Brown vs. Board of Education. In the Dred Scott vs. Stanford case the outcome eventually abolished slavery and declared all people born in the United States and automatic citizen. Plessy vs. Ferguson said that African Americans and Whites were "separate but equal" which gave African Americans the same things that the whites got. Brown vs. Board of Education allowed African American children to experience school alongside White children however, abolishing the "separate but equal" precedent. “This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds.

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With many attempts to seek equality in white-only schools, as of May 17 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education case stated that segregation in schools was unconstitutional (even though racial practices still occurred after the case was struck down). The white people’s ignorance still occurred around these

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In the United States, equal rights have always been a social issue that minority groups have struggled with throughout time and are still fighting up to today. During the 19th and 20th century, there were documented cases of inequality among races and many of these disputes were brought to court. There were two cases, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education (1955), that attempted to address the inequality among races. In this essay, I will be attempting to portray the shift in underlying legal principles that have switched from these two cases and suggest two theories, the weakening of legal rules and historical idealist account that could account for the change. Within four decades, the Supreme Court overturned their ruling of “separate but

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To explain, Chief Justice Earl Warren believed separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, even more they were a violation of the 14th amendment and were therefore unconstitutional. This ruling marked the end of the "separate but equal" precedent set by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson and sparked the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s. The Brown v. Board case as a result effected the United States in regards to race relations in criminal justice, the political process, and the separation of church and state (Brown v. Board). Without doubt, even though segregation of schools was illegal it did not guarantee the end of segregation within

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Ferguson” helped to cause the civil rights movement because the conditions of the ruling were in fact separate, but were not equal. The ruling did not respect the rights of the citizen as an individual. It was brought up again in a later court case in 1954, “Brown vs. The Board of Education”. This case argued that segregated schools also violated the 14th amendment. It overturned the “Plessy v. Ferguson” “Separate but equal” ruling.

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Local and state governments enacted laws that mandated separation between Blacks and Whites. Such separateness was almost always unequal, despite the Supreme Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson. Blacks were confined to substandard bathrooms, parks, water fountains, restaurants, schools, and hospitals. They generally received a poor education, which hindered their ability to advance. White Southerners subjugated African-Americans whose work options were limited and whose pay lagged behind that of Whites.

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Even then, it would be many years before desegregation would be seen across all school districts. REFLECTION This case was hard for me to read due to my own beliefs surrounding equality for all American Citizens. Although I will say ultimately I am happy with the court’s decision to decide that segregation of public schools does indeed violate the students Fourteenth Amendment rights. I do understand that a lot of people involved in this case on both ends of the spectrum felt the outcome regarding this case should be clear as day, however, I can see how the decision could have taken a lot of research, praying, and evaluating the facts given from both parties.

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The ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson said that all black and white people will be separate but equal, but in reality, this was not the case ("Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)"). Whites were of course given the most elaborate and fancy equipment when in public; from schools to water fountains to bathrooms, whites were living in complete luxury compared to the increasingly struggling blacks of the time. A major flaw with the idea of segregation, was the issue of schooling. Whites were given the better schools with better teachers, while blacks had schools that were very poor and not the best teachers. Because of this, African-Americans were again being penalized just because of their race, truly showing how unequal their lives really were.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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960 Words | 4 Pages

Breaking racial Barriers with Brown vs. Board of Education Imagine this, your seven year old daughter has to walk 1 mile to her school bus stop, when there is another school just 7 blocks away. She has to travel so far to go to school because its against the law for her to go to a school with a race other than her own. The court case that changed this insane arrangement was Brown vs. Board of Education. Brown vs. Board of education was 5 court cases challenging racial segregation in schools. The court cases took place in Kansas, Washington D.C, South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware.

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