Plessy v. Ferguson

Life during the "New South" for Black people

• Late 1800s after Civil War and Reconstruction

• Southern states passed "Jim Crow" laws

• These laws required racial segregation in public places

• Many Black Americans faced discrimination despite being free

• Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 Black, bought a first-class train ticket

• Sat in "whites-only" train car in Louisiana

• Arrested for violating Separate Car Act

• Planned challenge to test segregation laws

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Homer Plessy

Plessy's Case

• Plessy's lawyers argued:

  • 13th Amendment (ended slavery)

  • 14th Amendment (equal protection)

  • Segregation laws were unconstitutional

  • Violated civil rights

The Supreme Court Decision

• Court ruled against Plessy (7-1)

• Established "separate but equal" doctrine

• Said segregation was legal if facilities were equal

• Justice John Marshall Harlan's lone dissent

"Separate but Equal"

• Facilities were rarely equal

• Black schools received less funding

• Segregated facilities were often inferior

• Created legal basis for widespread segregation

Impact on American Society

• Led to increased segregation across the South

• Affected:

  • Schools

  • Public transportation

  • Restaurants

  • Other public facilities

Legacy

• Remained law for 58 years

• Enforced racial segregation

• Created two separate societies

• Inspired civil rights movement

Brown v. Board of Education

• 1954 Supreme Court case

• Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson

• Ruled "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal"

• Major victory for civil rights