Plessy argued that the segregation of African Americans in separate train cars violated the 13th and 14th Amendments, claiming that it imposed a form of involuntary servitude and denied him equal protection under the law. The Supreme Court rejected Plessy's argument by stating that segregation did not imply the inferiority of African Americans and that separate facilities for different races did not violate the equal protection clause, establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine. Plessy v. Ferguson was a pivotal Supreme Court case because it legitimized racial segregation and discrimination in public facilities, effectively entrenching Jim Crow laws and setting a precedent that upheld systemic racism for decades until it was ultimately challenged and overturned by later civil rights movements and Supreme Court decisions.
One paragraph in total. Nothing more, nothing less. What amendments did Plessy argue were being violated when African Americans were forced to sit in separate train cars?
Why did the Supreme Court reject Plessy's argument?
Why was Plessy v. Ferguson an important Supreme Court case?
1 answer