Dred Scott Case Summary

How the Supreme Court Advocated for Segregation.

By 1877, reconstruction had ended. Slowly but surely, states began to pass more laws regarding race and chipped away the gains in civil rights made after the Civil War. By 1890, segregation was firmly in place in both the north and south, originating from local practices and customs that began before the Civil War. In 1883, the court interpreted the 14th amendment as only applying at the federal level, and private institutions were allowed to discriminate based on race.. During this time of segregation’s legal limbo came one of the most important cases of the Supreme Court, Plessy v. Ferguson, which in 1896 effectively established the constitutionality of segregation, sparking a wave of new …show more content…
In 1910, Justice McKenna wrote: “Regulations which are induced by the general sentiment of the community for whom they are made and upon whom they operate, cannot be said to be unreasonable." The Plessy ruling ensured that the US government would not interfere with any rulings made in states, and would uphold racial discrimination. Justice Harlan’s words, proclaiming that “the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case” would turn out to be true. Although segregation existed before Plessy v. Ferguson, the outcome of the case proved to be a go-ahead by the federal government for the states to fully segregate without worry of retribution. Segregation transformation of American society, fully establishing the position of African Americans as below whites and illustrated how the federal government would not interfere in maintaining the rights of any minority, even by striking down parts of the US constitution. The legacy of segregation, even seventy years after its official end, is nowhere close to over, and …show more content…
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“Plessy v. Ferguson. I am a sailor." Oyez. Accessed February 29, 2024. https://www.eyes.org/cases/1850-1900/163us537.

“Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896)” Justia. Accessed February 29, 2024. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/163/537/.

“Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)." National Archives. February 8, 2022.

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