AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Plessy v. Ferguson (Day 176/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about Plessy v. Ferguson as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

“This is a White Man’s Government,” Britannica

Throughout the 1870s, Supreme Court decisions and local laws stripped away the rights gained by African Americans after the Civil War and reinstated white supremacy.

Waiting Room Sign, Wikimedia Commons

In 1892, Homer Plessy attempted to challenge Louisiana’s Separate Car Act that required segregation of the races in railroad cars. He was chosen by the Comite des Citoyens, a group who sought to repeal the act, due to the fact that he was 7/8ths Caucasian. 

14th Amendment, Wikimedia Commons

He was arrested and in the subsequent lawsuit, his case attempted to use the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to challenge the constitutionality of racial segregation.

 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, Oyez

However, in a 7-1 ruling, the Supreme Court held that Louisiana’s law was constitutional and established the “separate-but-equal” doctrine. It effectively gave federal support to state segregation laws.

In the landmark Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson, segregation was deemed constitutional and the doctrine of “separate-but-equal” emerged as a justification for these policies designed to enforce white supremacy.

Join me tomorrow as I explain 19th Century Civil Rights Leaders in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!