Plessy V Ferguson

On June 7th, 1892 Homer Plessy and a group of black citizens were arrested because they wanted to test the constitutionality of the “Separate Car Act”. They didn’t want to sit in different cars because of their skin. Plessy’s argument was that they were going against the 14th amendment and striping blacks of their rights as citizens. The blacks were not getting protection under the law like everyone else, and since they were born in America, they were citizens.

The case “Plessy v. Ferguson” was not simply about Plessy not being able to sit on a white only passenger car. It was more about the bigger problem, segregation. The problem that blacks in America have been suffering through. It began when the “separate car act” was enacted in 1890. Then a group of black citizens wanted to challenge the act, they chose Homer Plessy to buy a 1st class ticket, and ride in a white only car. He had to go to Ferguson’s court after being caught. Homer Plessy lost his case in the court and the Supreme Court of Louisiana. After losing to both courts he went to the Supreme Court of the United States.

This situation was not only about the “Separate Car Act” anymore, it was also about segregation. And for about 50 years at the time, people finally realized that “Separate but Equal” clause was contradicting the 14th amendment ever since it was created. The people directly associated with the case we’re, a group of black citizens, Homer Plessy, East Louisiana Railroad Company, Albion Tourgee, John Ferguson, Henry Brown, and John Harlan. They all worked together to overrule the law. In the majority opinion Henry Brown talked about social and political equality. “If the civil and political rights of both races are equal one cannot be inferior civilly or politically.” Said Henry Brown.The civil and political rights of both races have technically been met if a white man cannot enter a colored passenger car either, and if the cars are equal. The political rights of both races have...