| 1892The U.S. Supreme Court: the highest court in | | | | overturned by Brown v. Board of Education. In |
| the land. Their job: to decide the constitutionality | | | | 1954, a little girl named Linda Brown in Topeka, |
| of cases. But is that what they are really doing? | | | | Kansas had to walk 5 miles to school. She didn't |
| Can we trust that their decisions are just? Two | | | | get recess and could not play with any of the |
| important cases in history can help answer this | | | | other children who were all white. Her parents filed |
| question. A 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case, Plessy | | | | a case to the U.S. Supreme Court saying that |
| v. Ferguson, made facilities and schools separate | | | | there is no way blacks and whites could get equal |
| based on race. In another case in 1954, Brown v. | | | | education if they were separated. The court ruled |
| Board of Education, the court reversed its | | | | that separate is not equal.The amount of time |
| decision and said that separate was not equal. | | | | between Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board |
| These two cases teach two lessons about the | | | | of Education shows just how long it took to get |
| U.S. Supreme Court. Plessy shows that our justice | | | | justice for blacks from the Supreme Court. It |
| system has failed at times to establish justice. | | | | amazes me that our government could even |
| Brown shows that even though the Court rules | | | | question if blacks have the right to justice. It |
| justly, justice isn't guaranteed.Many events led up | | | | should be basic knowledge for us to know that it |
| to Plessy v. Ferguson. For example: after the | | | | is wrong to treat any people so unjustly. Just to |
| Congress withdrew federal troops from the | | | | prove my point here are some questions you can |
| South in 1877, conditions for blacks deteriorated. | | | | ask yourself: are blacks human beings just like |
| The government pushed blacks into an inferior | | | | whites? Do blacks and whites both have feelings |
| position. The government took action to prevent | | | | and needs? And finally, is the only difference |
| blacks from voting immediately.They embarked | | | | between blacks and whites is that they have a |
| poll taxes, "grandfather clauses". They also | | | | different complexion? I am confused as to why |
| segregated on trains, in parks, schools, | | | | so many people, including Justices on our Supreme |
| restaurants, theaters, swimming pools, and even | | | | Court would not answer yes to all these |
| cemeteries. If blacks broke these segregation | | | | questions. How could anyone who had any |
| laws, they were likely to end up either in prison or | | | | intelligence think it was acceptable to treat blacks |
| dead!The case of Plessy v. Ferguson was a very | | | | differently?Fortunately the Court did come to its |
| important case in American History because it | | | | senses in Brown v. Board of Education. Yet just |
| enforced segregation even making it legal, and | | | | because The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that |
| made segregation a concrete reality for the | | | | separate is not equal it did not mean that blacks |
| people of the United States. It began with a man | | | | were automatically treated equally. After Brown v. |
| called Homer Plessy. Plessy was 7/8 white and | | | | Board of Education happened, there needed to be |
| only had 1/8 drop of black blood in him, but under | | | | the Civil Rights Movement, in which many people |
| Louisiana law, was considered black. In 1890, | | | | were involved to push society to change. Two |
| Louisiana passed a law providing that "all railway | | | | people who led the Civil Rights Movement were |
| companies carrying passengers in their coaches in | | | | Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. We must |
| this state shall provide equal but separate | | | | acknowledge that it wasn't only those people, |
| accommodations for the white and colored races, | | | | there were others working and helping the same |
| by providing two or more passenger coaches for | | | | cause. There were many ways that they |
| each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger | | | | impacted The Civil Rights Movement. They gave |
| coaches by a partition so as to secure separate | | | | speeches, wrote letters, led marches, held |
| accommodations." Plessy believed that the law | | | | meetings and many other strategies. They also |
| was unjust and so he challenged the law by | | | | endured mental and physical hardships. Only |
| refusing to leave the white railroad car. He was | | | | through the Civil Rights Movement did the |
| arrested and taken to trial. At this trial he argued | | | | promise of Brown actually get achieved. These |
| that the Separate Car Act violated the Thirteenth | | | | people were poor, wealthy, high class, low class, |
| and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. | | | | black, some white, short and tall. Basically, there |
| But he was found guilty. Plessy then appealed the | | | | was a wide range of different kinds of people. |
| decision to the Supreme Court of Louisiana. Again | | | | Not everyone automatically changed their frame |
| his case was upheld. Plessy appealed again in 1896 | | | | of mind when The U.S. Supreme Court ruled |
| to the Supreme Court of the United States. | | | | separate is not equal. There were still many |
| Homer Plessy was found guilty once again. The | | | | people out there who were racist and wanted to |
| impact of the court's decision was a harsh one. It | | | | keep blacks in an inferior position.You may visit |
| created a reality that was a nightmare to many. | | | | and for instant access to over 45,000 plus term |
| Their lives would be changed dramatically. They | | | | papers and essays. You may have all of these |
| would officially be separated and considered low | | | | quality papers for only $19.95. We have thousands |
| down in society.Plessy v. Ferguson was the law of | | | | of papers on civil rights and African American |
| the land until 1954, when it was finally, successfully | | | | history. |