Plessy V. Ferguson
Date: 1892
Case Background:
June 7, 1892, a man named Home Plessy was arrested and put in jail for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad. Plessy could pass for being white due to his fair skin, but under Louisiana law, Plessy was considered black due to the fact he was a "Creole of Color". Therefore, Plessy was required to sit in the colored car of the train. Issue: Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act in 1892. This act legally segregated common carriers. A black civil rights organization decided to stand up and challenge the law. Plessy sat in the white section of the car and identified himself as black, which then led to his arrest. The case went to the Supreme Court where lawyers representing Plessy argued that the Separate Car Act violated the 13th & 14th Amendments to the Constitution. Decision: The Supreme Court decision came down to a 7 to 1 majority vote against Plessy. The ruling was the doctrine "separate but equal" to be constitutional under the 14th Amendment. Impact: The decision of "separate but equal" became the precedent to many aspects of segregation. The doctrine was extended to cover many aspects of public life including restaurants, bathrooms, movie theaters and public schools. It was not until 1954 that Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka would change the "separate but equal" doctrine. |
Justice: John Brown
|