Plessey Vs Ferguson

In class we learned about Plessey V Ferguson, a landmark civil rights trial that would start the Jim Crow era. The basic facts of the case was a mixed race man by the name of Homer Plessy sat in a whites only cabin of a train. This was from the Separate cab act enacted by Louisiana state government. 

Homer Plessey intentionally went into the whites only cab to be arrested. Plessy was seeked by the Committee of Citizens, which was a group of New Orleans residents who wanted to repeal the Act. They were the ones who asked Plessy to sit in a “whites only” car of the Louisiana train.” Plessy was then told to exit the whites-only car and he refused to do so. He then was arrested and jailed. He was convicted by a New Orleans court and later filed a petition against the judge; John H Ferguson. This petition claimed that the law violated the Equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. In trials, Plessy’s lawyers argued that the Separate Car Act violated the 13th as well.

The court ruled in favor of Ferguson. The majority of the court rejected Plessy’s argument about the 13th and 14th amendment. Instead, a stamp approval was created on the doctrine of “separate but equal”. Justice Henry Brown wrote the opinion that rejected Plessy’s argument on the Louisiana Law conflicted with the 13th amendment. Justice John Marshall rejected this on the basis that the constitution is colorblind being the only one in opposition of the ruling.