Eleanor Finch
The landmark 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that separate but equal accommodations for whites and blacks were constitutional, upholding a Louisiana state law that allowed for equal but separate accommodations. This decision had a profound impact on racial segregation in the United States, setting a precedent for state-sanctioned segregation that would endure for decades. The case began in 1892 when Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, refused to move from a seat reserved for whites on a train, challenging Louisiana's Separate Car Act. Despite Justice Harlan's dissent, which predicted the decision would encourage aggression and stimulate segregation, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of segregation, stating that it did not violate the Constitution or imply the inferiority of African Americans. It wasn't until nearly six decades later, in 1954, that the separate but equal doctrine was overruled by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, marking a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Court Case | Plessy v. Ferguson |
| Year of Decision | 1896 |
| Court | U.S. Supreme Court |
| Decision | Upheld the Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." |
| Basis of Decision | The Fourteenth Amendment did not intend to give Congress the authority to prevent discrimination by private individuals. |
| Dissent | Justice Harlan's dissenting opinion stated, "Our Constitution is color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens." |
| Overruled By | Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) |
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What You'll Learn
Homer Plessy challenged the Separate Car Act
In 1892, Homer Plessy, a 30-year-old man who was seven-eighths White and one-eighth Black, challenged the Separate Car Act. Plessy was recruited by a civil rights group known as the Comité des Citoyens to challenge the act in a planned test case. On June 7, 1892, Plessy purchased a train ticket for a trip between New Orleans and Covington, Louisiana. He took a seat in a "Whites"-only car and, when asked by the conductor, identified himself as a "colored man". Plessy was then ordered to move to the "colored" car, which he refused to do. As a result, he was arrested and charged with violating the Separate Car Act.
Plessy's case, known as Plessy v. Ferguson, was heard by Judge John H. Ferguson, who ruled against him, upholding the constitutionality of the Separate Car Act. Plessy then appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court, arguing that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which forbids states from denying "equal protection of the laws" to any person within their jurisdiction. The Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed Plessy's conviction, and he appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, again challenging the constitutionality of the Separate Car Act. In a 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Separate Car Act was constitutional, upholding a Louisiana state law that allowed for ""equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races."
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision had far-reaching implications, giving the official ""Constitutional nod"" to the "separate but equal" doctrine that condoned racial segregation in public places. This decision marked the end of an era of radical Black activism in New Orleans and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation. It would take until the mid-20th century and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education for the "separate but equal" doctrine to be abruptly overturned by a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that segregation in public schools was "inherently unequal" and violated the 14th Amendment.
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Judge John H Ferguson dismissed Plessy's case
In 1891, a group of young Black men from New Orleans formed the "Citizens' Committee to Test the Constitutionality of the Separate Car Law." They raised funds to hire Albion W. Tourgée, a prominent Radical Republican author and politician, as their lawyer. On May 15, 1892, the Louisiana State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Pullman Company, stating that the law was unconstitutional regarding interstate travel.
Encouraged by this decision, the committee decided to test a case on intrastate travel. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy, a mulatto (7/8 white), sat in a white-only compartment on a train. He was challenged by the conductor, arrested, and charged with violating the Separate Car Law. In the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Tourgée argued that the law requiring "separate but equal accommodations" was unconstitutional.
Judge John H. Ferguson disagreed and ruled against Plessy. Plessy then appealed to the State Supreme Court, which upheld Judge Ferguson's ruling. Plessy then took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which also ruled against him in a 7-1 decision on May 18, 1896, in a case that became known as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Supreme Court's ruling upheld the Louisiana state law, which allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." This ruling set a precedent for state-sponsored segregation and the ""separate but equal" doctrine, which permitted states to have separate facilities for different races as long as they were considered equal.
The Plessy v. Ferguson case had far-reaching consequences and was later used to entrench and expand segregation laws throughout the United States. It took several decades and the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954 to overturn the "separate but equal" doctrine and end state-sponsored segregation.
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Plessy v Ferguson reached the US Supreme Court
Plessy v Ferguson was a landmark US Supreme Court case that took place in 1896. It upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and coloured races". This ruling effectively legitimised racial segregation laws, also known as Jim Crow laws, in the American South and set a precedent for segregation in other states.
The case began in 1891 when a group of young Black men in New Orleans formed the "Citizens' Committee to Test the Constitutionality of the Separate Car Law". They hired Albion W. Tourgée, a prominent Radical Republican author and politician, as their lawyer. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy, a mixed-race man (7/8 white), deliberately boarded a whites-only train car in New Orleans, violating Louisiana's Separate Car Act of 1890. Plessy was arrested and charged with violating the state law. In the Criminal District Court, Tourgée argued that the law requiring "separate but equal accommodations" was unconstitutional. However, Judge John H. Ferguson ruled against him, and the case made its way up to the US Supreme Court.
In May 1896, the Supreme Court issued a 7-1 decision against Plessy, stating that the Louisiana law did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Justice Henry Brown of Michigan delivered the majority opinion, stating that the law did not inherently imply the inferiority of one race over the other. He argued that if the civil and political rights of both races were equal, one could not be considered inferior to the other. The Court also gave deference to the state's power to regulate health, safety, and morals.
The Plessy v Ferguson decision had far-reaching consequences, entrenching and expanding segregation laws across the US. It set the tone for states' ability to segregate not only African Americans but also other minority groups. The "separate but equal" doctrine resulted in the segregation of education, leading to the Brown vs. Board of Education case nearly six decades later, which unanimously struck down state-sponsored segregation as unconstitutional. While Plessy v Ferguson was never explicitly overruled, it is considered effectively dead as a precedent, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited legal segregation.
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The Supreme Court ruled segregation constitutional
In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation was constitutional, setting forth the "separate but equal" doctrine. This ruling upheld a Louisiana state law that permitted "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." The Court found that the law did not violate the Equal Protection Act, with Justice Henry Billings Brown stating that separate treatment did not imply the inferiority of African Americans. The decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was the first major inquiry into the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person.
The case of Plessy v. Ferguson arose from an incident in 1892, when Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth Black, purchased a train ticket to travel within Louisiana and refused to move from a seat reserved for whites. He was arrested and charged with violating Louisiana's Separate Car Act. Plessy challenged the act, arguing that the state law requiring the Louisiana Railroad to segregate trains denied him his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
The lower courts, including the Louisiana State Supreme Court, initially ruled in favor of Plessy, finding the law unconstitutional as it applied to interstate travel. However, when the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court ruled that segregation did not violate the Constitution, establishing the separate-but-equal rule. This ruling had far-reaching implications, permitting states to have separate facilities for different races as long as they were considered equal.
It is important to note that the Plessy v. Ferguson decision was later overruled by the Supreme Court in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954. In this case, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to end segregation, ruling that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional and a violation of the Equal Protection Act. This decision marked the end of legalized racial segregation in U.S. schools and served as a catalyst for the expanding civil rights movement during the 1950s.
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The separate but equal doctrine was established
The "separate but equal" doctrine was established in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. On May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court, with only one dissenting vote, ruled that segregation in America was constitutional. This ruling upheld a Louisiana state law that permitted "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." The law in question was the Separate Car Act, which required railroads to provide separate compartments for white and Black passengers. Homer Plessy, a man of colour, refused to move from a seat reserved for whites and was arrested. He challenged the act, arguing that it denied him his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.
The Supreme Court of the United States, under Chief Justice Melville Fuller, disagreed with Plessy's argument and established the "separate but equal" doctrine. Justice Henry Billings Brown, who wrote the majority opinion, stated that while the Fourteenth Amendment intended to establish absolute racial equality, separate treatment did not imply the inferiority of African Americans. The Court noted that there was no meaningful difference in equality between the white and Black railway cars, creating the doctrine later named "separate but equal."
The "separate but equal" doctrine gave constitutional sanction to laws designed to achieve racial segregation through separate and equal public facilities and services for whites and African Americans. This doctrine was used to assess the constitutionality of racial segregation laws until 1954, when it was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. In this case, the Court unanimously voted to end segregation, ruling that state and federally sponsored segregation was unconstitutional and violated the Equal Protection Act. This marked the end of the "separate but equal" precedent set by the Supreme Court nearly 60 years earlier in Plessy v. Ferguson.
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Frequently asked questions
Plessy v. Ferguson.
1896.
Homer Plessy, who was 7/8 white and 1/8 Black, refused to move from a seat reserved for whites on a train in Louisiana and was arrested. He challenged the Separate Car Act, arguing that the law requiring separate but equal accommodations was unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation in America was constitutional and that separate but equal accommodations for whites and Blacks did not violate the Constitution.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which challenged the segregation of children in public schools on the basis of race. This decision signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in U.S. schools and overruled the "separate but equal" principle established in Plessy v. Ferguson.
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