Plessy vs Ferguson
Who was involved? Think about the people or groups who were involved and affected by this event.
The people that were involved were Homer Plessy and John Ferguson and the groups affected by the Plessy v. Ferguson case included African Americans, who were subject to racial segregation laws
What happened? Summarize the event!
Where did the event take place?
When did the event take place?
Why is this event important to Georgia’s history?
In 1892, Homer Plessy, a mixed-race man, purposely boarded a train designated for white passengers in Louisiana. He was arrested and charged with violating a state law that enforced racial segregation on trains. Plessy challenged the law in court, arguing that it violated the 13th and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.
The event took place in Louisiana, specifically on a train traveling from New Orleans to Covington.
The case was eventually brought to the Supreme Court and in 1896, the Court ruled in favor of John Ferguson, the judge overseeing the case. The Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation, establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine. This allowed for segregated public facilities, such as schools, restrooms, and transportation, to be maintained as long as they were supposedly equal in quality.
This event is important to Georgia's history as it solidified racial segregation laws in the South and set a precedent for the Jim Crow era. It further enforced racial discrimination and inequalities, deeply impacting the lives of African Americans in Georgia and throughout the United States for decades to come.