Plessy v. Ferguson

Race and the right to ride on a train

Black male passenger on a train going NorthWhen the train crossed the Mason Dixie line, he was told to move to the backRefused and was removed from the train.

Sued the train company and lost.

Unfortunately, Plessy did not win.

“Separate but equal”The courts believe that as long as the facilities were equal, people could have separate facilities based on color.

Plessy v. Ferguson“In 1896 the Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' decision in the case of Homer Plessy, a black man from Louisiana, challenged the constitutionality of segregated railroad coaches, first in the state courts and then in the U. S. Supreme Court. The high court upheld the lower courts noting that since the separate cars provided equal services, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment was not violated. Thus, the "separate but equal" doctrine became the constitutional basis for segregation.” Dudley, M. E. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) . New York: Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.

The scary part is that Plessy did not look black. People hated black people so much that the law

stated that if:BlackWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhiteWhite

you had at least 1/16th black in you, you had to legally claim yourself as black.

It wasn’t until the 50’s that the case was put to the test again in

the courts.

Brown V. Board of Education, Topeka

Doll Testhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcAuO0PNnrs

Brown V. Board of EducationBackground:

A little girl wanted to go to a school closer to her home

Everyday she walked miles away to a school that was inadequate.

Court ruling: in favorSeparate was not equal.

On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren read the decision of the unanimous Court:

"We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does...We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Dr. Hugh W. Speer, testified that:

, "...if the colored children are denied the experience in school of associating with white children, who represent 90 percent of our national society in which these colored children must live, then the colored child's curriculum is being greatly curtailed. The Topeka curriculum or any school curriculum cannot be equal under segregation."

``In the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place..."

Why They Won

Keep in mind, the only reason they won the case was that they based it on human rights and feelings.

They made the courts feel empathy for minority children.

Integration``To separate children solely because of their

racegenerates a feeling of inferiority that may

affecttheir hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever

to be undone."

Thurgood Marshall with James Nabrit Jr. and George E.C. Hayes after their victory in the Brown v. Board of Education case before the Supreme Court, May 17, 1954. Photograph courtesy of UPI / Corbis-Bettmann

Two Types of Segregation

De Jure Segregation

Based on a state law

The Plessy v. Ferguson case was an example of this type of segregation.

The law states it is ok to segregate.

De Facto Segregation

Certain factors cause segregation

Economic conditions

Housing patterns