Plessy v. Ferguson

Definition

This was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."

Analogy

Imagine a school cafeteria where boys and girls are made to sit at separate tables, but both tables get the same food. The school justifies this by saying it's "separate but equal," similar to how Plessy v. Ferguson justified racial segregation.

Related terms

Brown v. Board of Education (1954): A landmark Supreme Court case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal.

Jim Crow Laws: State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Civil Rights Act of 1964: A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.