Plessy v. Ferguson
Definition
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1896 that upheld racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."
Analogy
Imagine going to a movie theater where there are two separate snack bars - one for people with blue eyes and one for people with brown eyes. Even though both snack bars offer the same popcorn and drinks, they're still separated based on eye color. This is similar to how Plessy v. Ferguson allowed racial segregation as long as facilities were 'equal'.
Related terms
Jim Crow Laws: These were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Brown v. Board of Education: This was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: This is a federal law that banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
"Plessy v. Ferguson" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (3)
- What Amendment was severely limited by court cases such as Plessy v. Ferguson?
- What decision did the Supreme Court make in Plessy v. Ferguson that significantly affected racial segregation laws?
- How do Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education rulings represent different judicial interpretations of the 14th Amendment?
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