How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect segregation Quizlet?

Asked by: Prof. Jeromy Purdy  |  Last update: February 16, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (74 votes)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) legalized racial segregation by establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine, allowing states to enforce Jim Crow laws, which segregated public facilities and transportation, effectively institutionalizing discrimination by creating vastly unequal conditions and depriving African Americans of their rights as citizens under the 14th Amendment. This Supreme Court ruling provided a legal justification for widespread segregation for decades until it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

How did Plessy vs. Ferguson affect segregation?

The ruling in this Supreme Court case upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." During the era of Reconstruction, Black Americans' political rights were affirmed by three constitutional amendments and numerous laws passed by Congress.

How did the ruling in Plessy versus Ferguson affect the legalities of segregation Quizlet?

The decision was based on the legal doctrine “separate but equal”. This meant that as long as there was an equal alternative for African Americans, segregation was regarded as constitutional because it did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment.

What was the Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson quizlet?

The 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson approved the principle of. This historic 1896 Supreme Court case legalized the discrimination of "equal but separate" housing for whites and people of color.

How did segregation affect the lives of African American Quizlet?

Segregation affected the lives of most African Americans by keeping them in a lower status by denying them equal access to public facilities and ensuring that blacks lived apart from whites.

Plessy v Ferguson and Segregation: Crash Course Black American History #21

41 related questions found

What effect did segregation have on African Americans?

These policies and practices systematically denied Black people access to well-resourced and opportunity-rich neighborhoods while denying the neighborhoods where they and other people of color live access to resources and investments, leaving them with failing schools, inadequate services, physical and environmental ...

What impact did African American voters have on politics in the South Quizlet?

What impact did african american voters have on politics in the south? they were able to be very influential in elections and their votes were accepted.

Which of the following resulted from the verdict of Plessy v. Ferguson?

Plessy legitimized state laws establishing "racial" segregation in the South and provided an impetus for further segregation laws. It also legitimized laws in the North requiring "racial" segregation, such as in the Boston school segregation case noted by Justice Brown in his majority opinion.

Did the Court decision in Plessy vs Ferguson argued that segregated facilities did not discriminate?

Plessy was arrested, and his legal team argued that the law violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. However, the Supreme Court, in a 7-1 decision, ruled that as long as the separate facilities for Black and white individuals were equal in quality, segregation did not violate the Constitution.

How successful was the civil rights movement in getting rid of de facto segregation?

Overall, the Civil Rights Movement was successful in achieving its goals of desegregation, allowing more African Americans to vote and in prohibiting discrimination in hiring practices. However, there were definite limits to the movement, including prejudice and de facto segregation that still continues.

How did separate but equal affect African Americans?

Implementation of the “separate but equal” doctrine gave constitutional sanction to laws designed to achieve racial segregation by means of separate and equal public facilities and services for African Americans and whites.

Which best explains why the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional?

The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson upheld segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal," which was later proven to be unconstitutional due to the inherent inequalities it created. This ruling contradicted the Fourteenth Amendment's provision for equal protection under the law.

How does the legal president sit by the decision in the Brown case relate to the concept of federalism?

This decision overturned state laws that allowed or required segregation, challenging the authority of states to enforce such laws. In terms of federalism, this case shows how the federal government (through the Supreme Court) can overrule state laws when they conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

How long did segregation last after Plessy v. Ferguson?

Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896) - this is the case which gave us the phrase "separate but equal" and upheld state racial segregation laws for public facilities. Justice Harlan again offered a lone dissent. These laws would remain in play until 1954.

How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect Education?

The Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) ruling legalized racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, giving states constitutional justification for Jim Crow laws that severely impacted education by mandating segregated, underfunded, and inferior Black schools, leading to overcrowded classrooms, inadequate resources (tattered books, lack of desks), and lower teacher pay, fostering systemic inequality until Brown v. Board of Education (1954) began to overturn it. 

What was the Supreme Court's decision on segregation?

Citation: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Opinion; May 17, 1954; Records of the Supreme Court of the United States; Record Group 267; National Archives. In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.

How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect segregation?

In an opinion authored by Justice Henry Billings Brown, the majority upheld state-imposed racial segregation. Justice Brown conceded that the 14th Amendment intended to establish absolute equality for the races before the law, but held that separate treatment did not imply the inferiority of African Americans.

What was the Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson quizlet?

In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public facilities was constitutional as long as the facilities were "separate but equal," establishing a legal basis for widespread segregation (Jim Crow laws) by upholding state laws requiring separate accommodations for Black and white people on trains and other public spaces. The Court reasoned that segregation didn't violate the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause because it didn't inherently imply Black inferiority, a notion the Court claimed was a social interpretation, not a legal one. 

What did the Supreme Court decide in Plessy v. Ferguson brainly?

The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling in 1896 stated that racial segregation in public facilities was constitutional as long as the separate facilities provided were "separate but equal," establishing a legal precedent that justified segregation (Jim Crow laws) for decades until it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. 

How did segregation end?

Signed into law, on July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels. It banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and public schools.

What happened after the Plessy case Quizlet?

Plessy v. Ferguson resulted in the exclusion of African Americans from educational institutions, better employment and business opportunities, the voting process, and mainstream American culture. The separate but equal doctrine was overturned by the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

What decision overturned the segregation of public Education?

Brown v. Board of Education (1954, 1955) The case that came to be known as Brown v. Board of Education was actually the name given to five separate cases that were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the separate but equal concept in public schools.

What role did African Americans play in the politics of the Reconstruction South?

Through the provisions of the Congressional Reconstruction Acts, black men voted in large numbers and also served as delegates to the state constitutional conventions in 1868. Black delegates actively participated in revising state constitutions.

Which person most directly affected voting rights for African Americans?

Explanation. Lyndon B. Johnson, as President of the United States, signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.

How did the situation of African Americans in the South change after Reconstruction Quizlet?

After Reconstruction, the rights promised to African Americans in the 14th and 15th amendments were gradually rescinded by southern state governments. Southern states passed laws requiring whites and African Americans to use separate facilities. De facto segregation vs. De jure segregation.