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.
A.
slavery
B.
state sovereignty
C.
separate but equal
D.
separation of church and state
What is your answer?
Do you know what issue was at stake in both cases?
I think it is
C. separate but equal
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.
A.
slavery
B.
state sovereignty
C.
separate but equal
D.
separation of church and state
The correct answer is C. separate but equal.
To understand how Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education illustrate the different interpretation of the Constitutional issue of "separate but equal" over time, we need to first understand the background of these landmark cases.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) involved a Louisiana law that required separate railway cars for white and African American passengers. Homer Plessy, who was of mixed race, deliberately violated the law and was arrested. Plessy argued that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court, in a decision by Justice Henry Billings Brown, ruled against Plessy, establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Court held that as long as the separate facilities for different races were equal, there was no constitutional violation.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) was a landmark case that challenged racial segregation in public schools. The case involved several African American plaintiffs who argued that segregated schools violated the Equal Protection Clause. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson. Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the opinion of the Court, stating that segregation in public education based on race was inherently unequal and violated the Constitution.
Therefore, the Constitutional issue of "separate but equal" was the central point of controversy in both cases. Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the doctrine, while Brown v. Board of Education rejected it. These two cases illustrate how the interpretation of this Constitutional issue changed over time, reflecting evolving societal attitudes and a deeper understanding of equality under the law.