Plessy V. Ferguson 210 163 U.S. 537

Cassidy Osborne

Plaintiff and Defendant

Plaintiff which is the one accused of the crime is Homer Plessy

Defendant which is the one trying to convict the guilty is John Ferguson

Background:

Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in the white section of the train

Plessy said that he was a part of both races and when he saw an available seat, he sat in it

Plessy refused to give up his seat when the driver told him to, so Louisiana police decided to arrest him.

He was the “Creole of Color”, which was used to describe a black person who traced back ancestors to French and Spanish.

Plessy said that since he was seven eights white that he deserved every freedom and right that the people of the white race got.

The state of Louisiana passed the “separate care act”, which made the separation of whites and blacks legal.

More Background

When the separate care act was passed civil rights group of blacks wanted to challenge the law.

Plessy was a member of the civil rights group and he deliberately sat in the white section of the train.

He wanted to make a difference in the state saying that everyone needed to be treated equally no matter their race.

Point of Law

Plessy’s lawyer argued that the separate care act went against the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments

These amendments wanted every person to be treated equally no matter their race.

When Plessy went to general district court case hearing he was found guilty because he violated an act of the General Assembly of the State.

He then filed a petition saying that the segregation law went against the Equal Protection Clause (the fourteenth amendment).

13th and 14th Amendment

This amendment stated that no person should be deprived of their life, liberty, or property because of their race.

It said every United States citizen should get the equal amount of rights.

When the court found Plessy guilty the petitioner said that the information filed against him was null and void.

This was because it conflicted with the Constitution. The petitioner then filed a plea saying that arresting Plessy was unconstitutional.

Supreme Court Decision:

The Supreme Court said that it did not see where it went against the fourteenth or thirteenth amendment.

The court said that the state was not treating the black race any differently than the white.

They were just doing what the law required them to do, which is to keep the races in separate facilities.

In every state in America the white facilities were better than the ones the blacks had to use.

Plessy was forced to plead guilty to this crime and he had to pay a small fee.

The facilities remained separated and nothing changed.

Decision Continued:

Brown said the fourteenth amendment was written to enforce the equality of races before the law.

The judge said that the fourteenth amendment was only concerned with the legal part and not the social equality of the races.

They said that this decision kept public peace

The court said that the constitution states that must provide separate sections of the train for the white and black people.

It also states that two or more coaches are required on each train.

Historical Impact:

The decision of the Supreme Court gave states permission to separate blacks and whites from everything.

This decision remained in effect until the Brown v. Board of Education court case came along.

Even though the state required each school board to provide equal schoolhouses and other matters pertaining to the children’s education.

The school board provided two schoolhouses for white people and they had the sufficient funds in order educate all the white children in the county.

It only provided funding for half of the children in the black community.

The Supreme Court heard this case and ruled to desegregate the schools and treat each race equally.

Works Cited

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