Plessy vs Ferguson
Who was involved? Think about the people or groups who were involved and affected by this event.
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court case in the United States that took place in 1896. The people and groups involved and affected by this event were:
1. Homer Plessy: He was a mixed-race man of African American and European descent who purposefully violated Louisiana's Separate Car Act by sitting in the "whites only" railroad car.
2. The State of Louisiana: The state of Louisiana passed and enforced the Separate Car Act, which allowed racially segregated railway cars.
3. Ferguson: John H. Ferguson, the trial court judge in Louisiana who upheld the constitutionality of the Separate Car Act.
4. The Supreme Court of the United States: The highest court of the land, which heard and decided the case.
5. The Civil Rights Movement: The decision of the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which became a legal precedent for racial segregation policies for several decades.
6. African Americans: The case perpetuated and legitimized racial segregation, leading to unequal treatment and opportunities for African Americans.
7. White Americans: Some white Americans supported racial segregation and benefited from it, while others worked against it.
8. Legal scholars and activists: The Plessy v. Ferguson decision sparked debate and activism among many legal scholars, activists, and civil rights organizations who fought against racial segregation and inequality.
9. Subsequent Supreme Court cases: The Plessy v. Ferguson decision was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This ruling marked a significant victory for the civil rights movement.