Plessy Vs. Ferguson And W. E. B. Du Bois

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The Supreme Court ruling of the court case Plessy vs. Ferguson and W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Black Codes determined the meaning of equality in similar ways. The Black Codes had full intentions to deprive any African American from gaining freedom. In addition, the verdict in the Plessy case interpreted the meaning of the 14th Amendment to justify that “separate is equal” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV.). By examining the dehumanizing language in both the court case and the article, it becomes clear that certain language is used to justify segregation, which negatively impacted African Americans because it categorized them and made an “inferior” race. This is significant because it creates division among people by socially making race a classification thus, leading to social tensions. …show more content…

Under the Black Codes men of color experienced misfortunes as they simply had no rights. Men of color were labeled as “laborers.” The white men who contracted a “laborer” were referred to as their “masters,” and by giving labels, this produce a social structure between the two races. Even as they were making money as a “laborer,” they faced unethical working conditions such as working, “ten hours during the day in summer, and nine hours during the day in winter” (Du Bois 1860). The colored men have also been imposed with unreasonable fines from missing time from work, “being disobedient,” “failing to obey orders,” and more (Du Bois 1860). Masters were also given the right to “moderately” whip servants who are under the age of 18, but no where in the Black Codes does it state what is considered “moderate.” The Black Codes also fail to produce reasonings why a master would be allowed to whip their

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