Why Is Plessy V. Ferguson Important

Plessy v. Ferguson The Supreme Court of Plessy v. Ferguson, argued on April 13, 1896, involved a man identified as Homer Adolph Plessy. Plessy was a man of seven - eighths Caucasian and one - eighths of African descent in the State of Louisiana who was denied to sit in a passenger train car reserved for “whites only.” The case questioned the Supreme Court whether Louisiana’s law mandating racial segregation infringes the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy paid for the first class passage on the East Louisiana Railway from New Orleans to Covington. He arrived on the passenger train that was reserved for persons of the white race, and took an unoccupied seat. When Plessy admitted he was of color, he was instructed to remove from his seat and move to a coach appointed to races of non - whites. His refusal lead to his arrest, and was sentenced to the parish jail of New Orleans. The officer of the arrest claimed that Plessy was guilty of violating Louisiana’s state statute that required railroad companies to provide equal but separate passenger cars for different races in which prohibited any person to occupy any passenger coach not assigned to their race.

Ferguson of the criminal District Court of New Orleans who originally approved the Louisiana statute. He confirms that Plessy was a citizen of the United States, and indeed a resident of Louisiana. He also acknowledges that Mr. Plessy is of mixed descent embodying seven - eighths Caucasian and one - eighth of African descent which was invisible to the naked eye. Without admitting his race when asked on the white - passenger train, Plessy would have been seen as an average white male. Ferguson accepted and declared, “he was entitled to every recognition, right, privilege and immunity secured to the citizens of the United States of the white