Plessy Vs Ferguson Essay

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Pages: 3

Plessy vs. Ferguson

In 1892, one man sparked a whole movement, he stood up for himself and African Americans all across America. Homer Plessy was the man that sparked so much change. He didn't win the case, but, blacks all across America heard what had happened, he even went to the Supreme Court. Plessy refused to be segregated from whites and ended up in jail. Even though the case was wrongfully decided, this case is very related to ¨To Kill A Mockingbird¨.

The Plessy vs. Ferguson took place on May and April of 1896. Homer Plessy was traveling by train on the East Louisiana Railroad Co. and the train required African Americans to sit in a different part of the train than the whites. (People call this the Jim Crow car). They were separated and the part of the train blacks were on
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They felt so unequal and that they deserved to be treated equally. But, the main reason the case was so well known was because Homer Plessy actually stood up for himself, which most blacks didn’t or couldn’t do. This case really pushed the “separate but equal” phrase, the phrase was constitutional because it was most American’s beliefs at the time, even though it was wrong. “This 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.”, (Plessy vs. Ferguson).

There are many connections between this trial or case and “To Kill A Mockingbird”. The case deals with many issues that relate to the book. Some topics include segregation and prejudice. The Tom Robinson case is one example, even though he was innocent he was found guilty, just like Homer Plessy. There wasn’t any support for either defendant, and the the outcome wasn’t fair at all. “Restrictive legislation based on race continued following the Plessy decision, its reasoning not overturned until Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954.” (Plessy vs.