Question

This picture shows a man drinking from a jug of water labeled “Colored” next to a water fountain in a public building. What did the Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 decide about this situation? A . It was prohibited because all citizens must receive equal treatment under the laws. B. It was legal because it did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment. C. It could exist because the federal court refused to rule on segregation. D. It must end because African Americans should be given U.S. citizenship.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. It was legal because it did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were considered equal in quality. Therefore, it deemed that segregation itself did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.