Separate but not Equal Through the duration of time, segregation has played a consequential role in history. The color of a person’s skin has been a deciding factor on the amount of respect they receive, the level of their education, where they participate in certain activities, and the quality of their job. This has not only been evident in earlier times, but in current times as well. The struggle to achieve equality was made even more difficult by the legislation of racism in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In the 1950s, after the dispersion of the Reconstruction era, the Jim Crow laws were created. A Jim Crow law was any law that enforced racial segregation in the South. Part of …show more content…
In June of 1892, Homer Plessy, an African-American train passenger, refused to sit in a Jim Crow car, which was a car reserved for blacks only. Though Plessy was only one-eighth African-American, he was still considered black, which was unacceptable to the society. At this time, Plessy sitting in a white compartment was a violation of the Louisiana law. Typically, passengers who sat in an inapplicable area were required to pay a $25 fine, or would face a 20-day jail sentence. Plessy believed that his constitutional rights had been infringed, which induced the Plessy v. Ferguson case. “Plessy v. Ferguson is considered an important case because it established the doctrine of separate but equal that allowed states for the first time to legally segregate the races,” states historian Yahuru Williams. To be separate but equal meant that both races were provided equal rights, as long as the races were divided into distinct facilities. On May 18 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court voted, by a seven to one majority, in favor of the judge to advance the doctrine of “separate but equal.” The doctrine became the standard for all ordinances regarding segregation. The Jim Crow laws were used to promote segregation and racist behavior. In …show more content…
Responding to federal demands, the district had made major changes to the school system over the years, Jacks said. One measure involved the establishment of neighborhood schools that allowed students to pick which school they wanted to attend.” In the end, the federal court’s main focus was to give the youth of Cleveland the same level of education. As said by the U.S. Supreme Court “We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” In conclusion, it was clear that the struggle to achieve equality was made difficult by the legislation of racism in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Society was substantially affected by the “separate but equal” doctrine, which promoted racist actions and behavior in early and current times. Segregation has been slowly improving through the years, and continues to improve, as some schools are still desegregating today. African-Americans will never be able to experience equal rights if they are separate from the rest of society. It has proved to be more effectual for everyone to be together, as well as having equal
To wrap it up, African Americans lived an unfair past in the south, such as Alabama, during the 1930s because of discrimination and the misleading thoughts towards them. The Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow Laws and the way they were generally treated in southern states all exemplify this merciless time period of the behavior towards them. They were not given the same respect, impression, and prospect as the rest of the citizens of America, and instead they were tortured. Therefore, one group should be never singled out and should be given the same first intuition as the rest of the people, and should never be judged by color, but instead by character.
“Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified and permitted racial segregation as not being in breach of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which guaranteed equal protection under the law to all citizens, and other federal civil rights laws". African Americans have a history of struggles because of racism and prejudices. Ever since the end of the Civil War, they struggled to benefit from their full rights that the Constitution promised being that, the US Supreme Court had to make many decisions to impact African-Americans: Loving vs Virginia, Plessy vs Ferguson, and Shelley vs Kraemer.
“Separate is not equal.” In the case of Plessey vs. Ferguson in 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court said racial segregation didn’t violate the Constitution, so racial segregation became legal. In 1954 the case of Oliver Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka this case proved that separate is not equal. Oliver Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was revolutionary to the education system, because colored people and Caucasians had segregated schools. The Caucasians received a better education and the colored people argued that they were separate but not equal. This would pave the way for integrated schools and change the education system as we knew it.
The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that segregation of schools is legal under the constitution. Linda Brown was black girl in the third grade and her father wanted to enroll her into an all black school. Her father tried to enroll her but the principal refused. Her father got really angry so he went to the Supreme Court. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court said, “ Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold the ...
In the days of the "Old Jim Crow" laws were created that enforced racial segregation in the South. Whites were separated from “persons
Louisiana passed a law that required segregation between different races is constitutional under the 14th Amendment, as long as the “separate but equal doctrine” is obliged between the different races. The Plessy v. Ferguson case claimed that segregation was legal, as long as equal facilities were provided for both races. The associate justices voted 7 to 1. The majority opinion was written by Henry B. Brown and the opinion was written by Justice John M. Harlan. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education case overturned the decision of the Plessy v. Ferguson case ruling.
One example for transportation of the “Jim Crow Laws” is, “The stations of all waiting rooms is needed separated for white and colored races by “The Utilities Commision.” ”(North Carolina. SB, pg.198). In other words, this particular law had clearly shown that white and colored men and women were demanded separate waiting rooms. Furthermore, the
The Citizens’ Committee recruited Homer Plessy to purposefully violate one of Louisiana’s segregation laws. Homer Plessy was arrested in New Orleans due to a violation of the “separate-car law”. He tried to appeal through the state courts to the Supreme Court but he lost. The “separate but equal” decision against him made consequences for civil rights throughout the United States (Homer Plessy). This allowed segregation anywhere in the United States as long as the facility provided for both races was “equal”. The Committee used this tactic in order to get rid of segregation laws in Louisiana.
(1) On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court made a decision that would mark a defining moment in the history of the United States. This decision declared “separate but equal” unconstitutional. It was ultimately unanimous, and occurred after a long, sought out campaign to convince all nine justices to overturn the “separate but equal” doctrine that had been sanctioned in the infamous 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. The legal path paved in various aspects of racial discrimination in public life has been the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Section I states “no State shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (Schimmel, Stellman and Fischer 312) At one point in time, it was determined actions by public officials and employees are state actions because public schools are state institutions. This is where Plessy v. Ferguson established separate but equal facilities meet the clause of the amendment. Between the two major cases in 1896 and 1954, there have been a number of lawsuits challenging the separate but equal principle. This case being discussed as the first influential case in the history of education in the United States is Brown vs. Board of Education. Brown was not the only case to push for a change, but rather one of five lawsuits against school districts. Because of the successful lawsuits challenging the doctrine in graduate and professional schools, it was possible for these other cases to step forward. In this case, the court recognized what important function of state and local governments education had become. They realized how education is the foundation on which good citizenship lies. Rejecting Plessy v. Ferguson, the Court determined “separate but equal” he...
Jim Crow laws, in U.S. history, statutes enacted by Southern states and munici-palities, beginning in the 1880s, legalizing segregation between blacks and whites (Woodward, 6). One of the most cited cases serving as the basis of Jim Crow was the Supreme Court case Plessy Vs Ferguson . The Court ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson stated that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional. This encouraged the passage of discriminatory laws that undermined and basically voided any progress that had been made on the behalf of blacks during the post civil war Reconstruction. These separate, but equal laws were passed for not only for railways and street cars, put for railways and streetcars, but eventually expanded to include almost all other aspects of life including public waiting rooms, restaurants, boardinghouses, theaters, hospitals, schools as well as many other public institutions. The general contention of the separate institutions created for blacks was that generally they were of inferior quality.
Homer Plessy was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black and had the appearance of a white man. Under Louisiana law Plessy was classified as black, and required to sit in the colored car. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy purchased a first-class ticket on a train from New Orleans to Covington, Louisiana and sat in an empty seat in the white-only section. He was then asked to move but refused and got arrested for violating the Separate Car Act. Homer Plessy was convicted of and sentenced to pay a $25 fine.
In the 1954 United States Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, school segregation was found to be unconstitutional. On behalf of the Court, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” The reasoning behind the unanimous decision diverged from the line of argumentation that had been used by civil rig...
Separate, but equal sounded like a good compromise when it was created in the 1800’s. The idea was created by the Massachusetts Supreme Court in the case of Roberts v City of Boston. Although separate, but equal was also a topic of education, it was a big issue in the transportation field. The U.S. Supreme Court determined that as long as railroad cars were equal, they were allowed to be segregated (Separate, n.d.). This court ruling created a nationwide separation of blacks and whites. There had to be separate facilities for each group of people. This applied to transportation, bathrooms, and even schools. The Supreme Court’s ruling was later overruled when it ruled on the case of Brown v The Board of Education of Topeka. In this case, the
For example there were different bathrooms and drinking fountains for whites and colored people. However, the colored alternative was usually of less quality unlike the premise that everything would be separate but equal. The idea of separate but equal was challenged in the court case Plessy v Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1892) “This 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. It stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a Jim Crow car, breaking a Louisiana law.” Plessy was brought before Judge John H. Ferguson of the Criminal Court for New Orleans, who upheld the state law. The law was challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that it conflicted with the 13th and 14th Amendments. The court chose to reject Plessy’s argument that his constitutional rights were violated when they wanted him to sit in a different car on the train, the Court ruled that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between whites and blacks did not conflict with the 13th and14th Amendments. All of the discriminating legislation based on race continued after the decision against Plessy, and was not overturned until Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 47 U.S. 483 (1954). According to Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, the Court said, by a 7-1 vote, that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between the two races did not conflict with the 13th Amendment forbidding involuntary servitude, nor did it tend to reestablish such a condition. The Court avoided discussion of the protection granted by the clause in the 14th Amendment that forbids the states to make laws depriving citizens of their “privileges or immunities,” but instead cited such laws in other states as a “reasonable” exercise of their authority under the police power. The purpose of the 14th Amendment,
These laws legally separated blacks and whites in numerous institutions such as schools, restrooms, and various types of transportation. “Separate but equal” had been affirmed by a 7-1 margin in the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896 by the Supreme Court of the United States.