Famous Civil Rights Casesand Events

Plessy vs. Ferguson Case

• 1892, Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad.

• Plessy was 1/8 black, in Louisiana was considered black and required to sit in the "Colored" car.

• Plessy went to court

Your turn to make arguments:

1. Argue FOR Plessy and how “Separate but Equal” is unconstitutional

2. Argue AGAINST Plessy and how “Separate but Equal” is constitutional

Argument in Favor of Plessy

"Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law...”

~ Only Supreme Court Justice in favor, John Harlan

Argument Against Plessy

• The object of the [Fourteenth Amendment] was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the 2 races before the law, but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color…”

~Supreme Court Justice, Henry Brown

Outcome of Plessy Case

• The state could choose to be segregated when railroads operated within the state of Louisiana.

• Plessy’s appeal to the Louisiana court and the US Supreme Court both found him guilty.

EFFECTS

• Set the precedent that "separate but equal” was constitutional

Brown vs. Board of Education

• Segregation in public schools was normal, black schools were far inferior

• Topeka, Kansas, Linda Brown walked 1 mile to get to her black school

• White school that was only 7 blocks away refused Linda enrollment

• Went to court with support of NAACP in 1951.

Your turn to make arguments:

1. Argue why it is not only constitutional to desegregate the schools, but also why it could be beneficial to desegregate the schools.

2.Argue why it is not only constitutional to segregate the schools, but also why it could be beneficial to keep the schools segregated.

Arguments in Favor of Desegregation

• Segregated schools sent the message to black children that they were inferior to whites

• Did not provide assimilation into society

• Curriculum not the same if no integration

• Therefore School is NOT EQUAL

Board of Ed. Defense

• Segregated schools prepared black children for the segregation they would face as adults

• Great African Americans such as Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and George Washington Carver had overcome more than just segregated schools to achieve what they achieved.

Outcome of Brown Case

• Difficult decision for 2 reasons:

1. Justices agreed that Segregation causes a sense of inferiority which affects the motivation of a child to learn.

2. Plessy v. Ferguson case allowed separate but equal school systems and no Supreme Court ruling had overturned Plessy yet.

Court’s Decision

• Decision had to be based on “Were children deprived of rights under 14th amendment?”

• On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated

“ We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, [black children are] deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Effects of Brown Case

• Required desegregation of schools

• Did not abolish segregation in other public areas

• Took a long time to desegregate and many battles