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Plessy v. Ferguson

 Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court case that was decided in 1896. The case arose from a dispute over a Louisiana law that required racial segregation on railroads. Homer Plessy, who was of mixed race, refused to sit in the "colored" car on a train and was arrested for violating the law.

Plessy argued that the law was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which states that no state shall "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The Supreme Court, however, ruled in favor of the state of Louisiana, arguing that the law did not violate the Equal Protection Clause because it applied equally to both white and black passengers.

The Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson effectively upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws, known as "Jim Crow" laws, throughout the United States. The ruling established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which held that segregation was legal as long as the facilities provided for each race were equal.

The Plessy v. Ferguson decision was widely criticized and paved the way for a series of legal challenges to segregation laws. In 1954, the Supreme Court overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, ruling that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Despite the eventual overturning of segregation laws, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision remains a stain on the history of the United States and serves as a reminder of the country's long struggle with issues of race and inequality.

Sources:

History.com Editors. “Plessy v. Ferguson.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson. 

Landmark Supreme Court Cases (555) 123-4567, landmarkcases.dcwdbeta.com. “Cases - Plessy v. Ferguson.” Landmark Supreme Court Cases, https://www.landmarkcases.org/cases/plessy-v-ferguson. 

“Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/plessy-v-ferguson. 

“Plessy v. Ferguson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/event/Plessy-v-Ferguson-1896. 


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