During reconstruction the 14th of memo was passed in 1868 guaranteeing that no state could take away the rights of United States citizens in spite of this amendment Southern States did not take away black people's rights as citizens Homer plus a black person was arrested on a railroad train and his case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court the 1896 court decision and plessy versus Ferguson became the legal basis for the next 60 years the court ruled against plessy and provided a legal backing for
the Jim Crow laws
The Plessy v. Ferguson case was a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1896 that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal." The decision was a major setback for civil rights advocates, as it provided a legal basis for the Jim Crow laws that would remain in place for the next 60 years. Homer Plessy, a black man, was arrested for sitting in a whites-only railroad car and his case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.