Plessy vs. Ferguson - What I Learned

Plessy vs. Ferguson - Learning From A Mock Trial Case

Plessy versus Ferguson was a landmark case, changing practices and viewpoints regarding racial segregation all across the United States in the year 1896. The decision regarding the case allowed for racial segregation to continue across America, depleting the progressive rights and opportunities for African Americans. This decision further pushed distinction between public amenities for blacks and whites.

The case initiated when Homer Plessy, a man having just 1/8 African American in his blood, rode on a train car that was for white people only. Plessy was very fair skinned, and often "passed" as white. Plessy purchased a first class train ticket from the station and boarded the "White's Only" car. Plessy was arrested when he refused to move to the "African American" train car. He was charged under the Separate Car Act, and his case eventually made way to the U.S Supreme Court on April 13, 1896.

Plessy argued against Judge John Ferguson under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, granting full and equal rights to African Americans. The court ruled that while the 14th Amendment hoped to create "absolute equality of the two races before the law", that could only be stretched so far as to political and civil laws, whereas social laws may be mildly exempt from this.

This court ruling basically allowed for the justice system to turn a blind eye to racial segregation in public settings. The Separate but Equal Doctrine would continue to haunt blacks and allow for them to experience blatant inferior treatment on a daily basis. This would be the common practice up until 1954, when the Brown vs Board of Education case would arise.

Comments

Theme Song

Theme Song Music has played a very major role in my life. Many memories, both good and bad, have a musical association for me. I think when you take the time to understand the lyrics of the song, you can find out more about yourself and your views on life. When trying to choose a theme song, I struggled with selecting just one. I believe that I embody many aspects of various songs and genres, and am grateful that I am capable of seeing parts of myself in a multitude of lights. I love to travel, my bags are always packed, and the feeling of freedom is something so pivotal to who I am. I believe there's more to life than the sole aspect of working day in and day out. I also am a strong believer in the idea that you can learn more through travel, than in a classroom. In that aspect, I do not mean traveling to five star resorts and luxurious beaches, I mean travel to touch every part of the world; the good, the bad, and the ugly, meet a variety of people, ...

EOTO - The Fair Housing Act of 1968

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 Prior to The Fair Housing Act of 1968, African Americans, in addition to many other minority groups, were being denied basic housing rights. These denials resulted in difficulty finding housing in decent, let alone desirable locations. Minority groups struggled when it came to buying and renting homes. Landlords and sellers would raise prices, set different terms of agreement, use different qualification criteria, or simply refuse to allow these people to live in the available houses due to things such as race, sex, or religion. Prior to the passing of The Fair Housing Act of 1968, two previous versions of this law were rejected by Congress. The rejection of the two prior versions lead people to believe that a third try at passing the law would be an incredibly long shot. After the assignation of MLK things really took a turn. On April 11, 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968...

EOTO Recap

Pro vs. Anti Slavery - EOTO Facts While going through the times of history, it is quite easy to see the two sides of many issues. When it came to slavery, the sides were vocal and apparent. Each side made advanced on their case, allowing for each side to further progress regarding its motives. Pro slavery was raging in the south. Southerners claimed that slavery was ethical, constitutional, and good for the economy. In order to push their point further, pro-slavery folk created crafty and even law abiding ways to advance their goal of making the United States a country of slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was enacted in 1854. It created two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska. These territories allowed for popular sovereignty in regards to slavery, meaning the people inhabiting the land chose if slavery was going to be allowed there or not. This ability to choose whether slavery was going to legal or illegal in the territories caused a major pushback from the...

Abby Weiss

Search This Blog