Slavery: Abolishing Segregation In The United States

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“Segregation… not only harms one physically but injuries one spiritually...It scars the soul..It is a system which forever stares the segregated in the face, saying ‘You are less than…”You are not equal to…’(Martin Luther King). Slavery has been existing in North America from the 1620’s to the 1860’s and has been a very important part of the United States’ development. It nearly took 240 years for us to recognize that just because slavery was effective, doesn’t mean that it is morally right. Even after the 13th amendment was passed, abolishing slavery, there was still tension between the races. If it weren’t for people like Homer Plessy, who was willing to disobey the law and go to trial in attempt to stop segregation, it could still be …show more content…
After the decision of the Plessy v. Ferguson case was final, which caused the “Separate but Equal” doctrines to spread, people started looking for ways to stop them. In 1909 the National Assembly of the Advancement of Colored People or the NAACP was created (Lasner). The NAACP was an organization that dedicated their time to make people aware of racial discrimination and how it was affecting people of color. To do this, they produced a magazine called the Crisis which was edited by the leader of the organization (Lasner). President Harry S. Truman also contributed to the ending of the “Separate but Equal” doctrines. “He signed a presidential order to desegregate the military, although he knew that there would be a political cost to him in the 1948 election” (Lasner). Barbra John, a sixteen year old high school student, also helped rebel against the “Separate but Equal” laws by forming a protest against segregation in schools (Lasner). John’s case along with four other related cases, would eventually become a part of the Brown v. Board of Education trial, which led to declare that segregation in schools is unconstitutional (Lasner). These are just a few organizations and people that helped with the movement towards equal …show more content…
Ferguson case helped develop the United States into the country it is today by creating doubt among the people, which caused them to question whether segregation and the “Separate but Equal” doctrine was constitutional. After the failure of the Reconstruction, there was more racial violence, bringing out people like Homer Plessy, who rebelled against the system and started cases against discrimination. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision started the beginning of the “Jim Crow” laws and helped spread the popularity of “Separate but Equal” teachings. After many protests against the racial laws, the Civil rights Act of 1964 was passed, ending all racial discrimination. Even though the final verdict of the Plessy v. Ferguson case went against the constitution and supported the unequal racial treatment, it eventually acted as a stepping stone for the United States and developed the equal rights we have
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