Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) illustrate how the same Constitutional issue of __________ was interpreted differently over time.
state sovereignty?
Are you supposed to guess? Or have you been given choices?
No, the Constitutional issue that was interpreted differently over time in the cases Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) was racial segregation and the concept of "separate but equal."
Plessy v. Ferguson addressed the constitutionality of racial segregation, specifically in the context of public transportation. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities provided for different races were equal in quality. This decision established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which allowed for the legal segregation of races.
In contrast, Brown v. Board of Education overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine. The case challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, declared that racial segregation in public education violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This landmark decision marked a significant turning point in the civil rights movement and led to the desegregation of public schools across the United States.
Therefore, the Constitutional issue that was interpreted differently over time in these cases was racial segregation and the principle of "separate but equal."