Plessy Vs Furgeson Essay

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The court case of Homer Plessy vs. Judge John Howard Furgeson should be remembered for its large effect on the political and social climate of the United States for the next 50 some odd years. It should be told in the AP U.S. History curriculum because the significant court case set the precedent for further segregation in the years to come and further established the racial divide present years after the civil war.
Firstly, the ruling of the court case essentially made segregation legal, giving a loophole for racism to also be legal. The Supreme court ruled against Plessy’s claim that the East Louisiana Railroad having separate “colored” and white cars was unconstitutional under the premise of the cars being “separate but equal”. The court established a legality in separation based on race by stating that if the accommodations were said to be equal then segregation did not go against the 14th amendment, which established equal protection under the laws. Equal being a subjective term, racially divided states used this law to openly discriminate against blacks by establishing laws like the Jim Crow laws. It’s extending effects make it an important story of AP U.S. History student to know because it would enable them to establish a cause for the Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights movement which were both …show more content…
It gives context to the time period as a whole by presenting the social status, particularly pertaining to race, of the United States at the time. The case as a whole depicts the mindsets of the people during the Gilded age, therefore, providing context for the time period. This is another reason that AP U.S. History students should learn about the case. Students would be able to use the case to depict the social environment of the age on a potential AP test or if they wanted to establish a social chronology for the history of the United
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Essay on Plessy Vs Furgeson

Plessy VS. Ferguson In 1896, in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was allowed, as long as facilities were equal, or the phrase “separate but equal”. They believed that it was alright to have separate facilities for colored and white people, as long as everyone had an equal stance. The ruling was only meant for passenger accommodations on a railroad, but was applied to all aspects of life, and to all sorts of unequal treatment which eventually led to the…

Words 678 - Pages 3