What was the main argument of Plessy in Plessy versus Ferguson?
Asked by: Ms. Marjolaine Daniel PhD | Last update: November 7, 2023Score: 4.6/5 (28 votes)
At trial, Plessy's lawyers argued that the Separate Car Act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The judge found that Louisiana could enforce this law insofar as it affected railroads within its boundaries.
What was the main idea of Plessy vs Ferguson?
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half-century. The ruling provided legal justification for segregation on trains and buses, and in public facilities such as hotels, theaters, and schools.
Who argued against Plessy v. Ferguson?
The one lonely, courageous dissenter against the Plessy v. Ferguson decision was a Kentuckian, Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan. At issue was a Louisiana law compelling segregation of the races in rail coaches.
What was the purpose of the Plessy vs Ferguson ruling quizlet?
A case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregated, "equal but separate" public accommodations for blacks and whites did not violate the 14th amendment. This ruling made segregation legal. Some railroad companies were on Plessy's side because they paid too much to maintain separate cars.
What did separate but equal mean?
Separate but Equal: The Law of the Land
In the pivotal case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the Constitution. Segregation, the Court said, was not discrimination.
Plessy v Ferguson and Segregation: Crash Course Black American History #21
What was Ferguson's argument?
John H. Ferguson, at the Louisiana Supreme Court, arguing that the segregation law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which forbids states from denying "to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," as well as the Thirteenth Amendment, which banned slavery.
Did Plessy v. Ferguson made segregation legal?
The U.S. Supreme Court changes history on May 18, 1896! The Court's “separate but equal” decision in Plessy v. Ferguson on that date upheld state-imposed Jim Crow laws. It became the legal basis for racial segregation in the United States for the next fifty years.
What does the Court say is the basic flaw in Plessy argument?
The Supreme Court rejected Plessy's assertion that the law left African Americans "with a badge of inferiority" and argued that if this were the case, it was because the race put it upon itself. As long as separate facilities were equal, they did not violate the 14th Amendment.
What is the meaning of the separate but equal principle quizlet?
Ferguson establish a new judicial idea in America - the concept of separate but equal, meaning states could legally segregate races in public accommodations, such as railroad cars And public schools.
Who was involved in Plessy v. Ferguson quizlet?
Who sued who in the Plessy vs Ferguson case? Homer Plessy was sueing Judge John Howard Ferguson because he made him get out of the white part of the train because he was ⅛ black.
Which best explains why the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy?
Which best explains why the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional? Since segregation laws did not provide equal protections or liberties to non-whites, the ruling was not consistent with the 14th Amendment.
How did Brown v. Board of Education upheld the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson?
In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States, overruling the "separate but equal" principle set forth in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case.
What was the effect of the Plessy decision on the nation?
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half-century. The ruling provided legal justification for segregation on trains and buses, and in public facilities such as hotels, theaters, and schools.
Why was the Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson significant to the concepts of human rights and fair housing?
Plessy v. Ferguson was important because it essentially established the constitutionality of racial segregation. As a controlling legal precedent, it prevented constitutional challenges to racial segregation for more than half a century until it was finally overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brownv.
Why was separate but equal not equal?
Because new research showed that segregating students by "race" was harmful to them, even if facilities were equal, "separate but equal" facilities were found to be unconstitutional in a series of Supreme Court decisions under Chief Justice Earl Warren, starting with Brown v. Board of Education of 1954.
What did Plessy do wrong?
On June 7, 1892, Plessy bought a ticket on a train from New Orleans bound for Covington, Louisiana, and took a vacant seat in a whites-only car. After refusing to leave the car at the conductor's insistence, he was arrested and jailed.
How did the Supreme Court justify the doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson?
How did the Supreme Court justify the doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson? The separate but equal doctrine stated that the separated facilities for colored and white people was acceptable they justified this by declaring constitutionally said it was being misinterpreted by colored people.
What was Plessy's argument?
At trial, Plessy's lawyers argued that the Separate Car Act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The judge found that Louisiana could enforce this law insofar as it affected railroads within its boundaries. Plessy was convicted.
What act did Plessy violate?
As a test, Plessy violated the 1890 Louisiana Separate Car law. That means he agreed to break the law on purpose. The Separate Car law said that white citizens and black citizens had to ride in separate railroad cars.
What is the 14th Amendment?
Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of ...
Why did judge Ferguson treat these two situations differently?
On what basis can Judge Ferguson treat these two situations differently? He is the Judge of the court in Louisiana, meaning he is able to make laws in the state. Because they're staying in the state, the state is able to determine that this law is constitutional, while they can't determine what it is for other states.
What was the basis for the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 that upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities?
What was the basis for the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities? The Constitution does not prohibit segregation; it only mandates equal protection under the law.
Why were civil rights supporters disappointed with the Supreme Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
Why were civil rights supporters disappointed with the Supreme Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson? The court rejected the idea of "separate but equal." The court ruled that African Americans were unable to drive.
How did Brown overturn Plessy?
The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown overruled Plessy v. Ferguson by holding that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional for American educational facilities and public schools. This decision led to more integration in other areas and was seen as major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
What were the quotes from Plessy v. Ferguson?
If the civil and political rights of both races be equal, one cannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.