7th-Plessy+vs.+Ferguson

​ = =

Plessy vs. Ferguson
**In 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that Louisiana's law seperating blacks and whites in a 'seperate but equal' railroad cars was constitutional. Their decision justified many other by the state and local government to seperate blacks and whites. In 1892 Homer Plessy was a thirty-year old shoemaker from Louisiana. He was only 1/8 black. He and his whole family could pass as white, yet the state counted him as black. Plessy was asked** **by the citizen committee to help them challenge the Seperate Car Act, a Louisiana law that seperated Black's and White's in railroad cars. Plessy agreed and took a seat in the White's only car on his way to Covington, Louisiana. Plessy informed the** **conductor that he was 1/8 black and he was refusing to move to the colored car. He was arrested immidiately.**

= Plessy's Trial = === His case went on trial a month after his arrest and his attorny, Albion Toulgee, argued that Plessy's rights under the 13th and 14th ammendments had been violated. Judge Fergusson ruled against Plessy because he thought individual states should be able to make there own policies regarding segregation policies. Plessy took the case to the Louisiana Supreme Court. The court upheld Ferguson's decision. In 1896, the Plessy vs Ferguson case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court. Thy ruled in favor of Ferguson. The only justice who ruled in Plessy's favor, Justice John Harlan, wrote: "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." ===

=Aftermath = === **After the case, the courts decision made it possible to spread the seperate but equal concept to many aspects of every day life throughout the south. Scools, public transportation, public facilities, resturaunts, theaters, ect. addopted the seperate but equal idea to segregate African Americans from the Whites. Usually, this was to give the best facilities to the whites. The seperate but equal concept was finally struck down in 1954 with the Brown vs Board of Education case.** ===

= =