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