Which of the following did the Supreme Court rule in Plessy v. Ferguson?
A. that segregation could continue
B. that the actions of Ku Klux Klan members would be protected as free speech
C. that freed African Americans had the right to vote
D. that black codes were unconstitutional
I chose B.
This is incorrect. The correct answer is A. The Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation was constitutional as long as there were equal facilities provided for both races, creating the "separate but equal" doctrine.
The correct answer is actually option A: that segregation could continue. Let me explain how you could arrive at the correct answer.
To find the answer to a question like this, understanding the context of the case in question is crucial. Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court case decided in 1896. It involved Homer Plessy, a black man, who challenged segregation laws on trains in the state of Louisiana.
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled against Plessy and upheld the constitutionality of "separate but equal" segregation laws. The Court argued that as long as segregated facilities were equal in quality, there was no violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
Based on this information, we can eliminate options B, C, and D as they are not related to the specific issue of segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. This leaves us with option A, which aligns with the Supreme Court's ruling in the case, confirming that segregation could continue.
Therefore, the correct answer is A: that segregation could continue.