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

http://www.memrise.com/s3_proxy/?f=uploads/mems/3121575000130426092
449.gif

http://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/images/plessy.jpg

https://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/ea716791ee75c7800e85a69b
37dcc067.jpg