Plessy vs. Ferguson 1896 Angelina Uzueta, Emily Trevino, Elias Ybarra

Background Information On June 7 th 1892, 30 year old Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in a “white” car off the east Louisiana railroad. Plessy could’ve easily passed for a white person but he was just light completed therefore still being considered a “colored” man. When Louisiana passed the separated the separate car act, legally separating the carriers from colored and whites, a black civil rights group deciding to change the law in court. Homer Adoph Plessy (petitioner) John Ferguson (respondent)

Constitutional Issues. The arguments in the case revolved around the 13th Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Grover Cleveland

Summary of the Supreme Court Decision The Plessy vs Ferguson case developed because of a mixed man name Homer Plessy. He was convinced by a group called Comite de Citoyens to take part in what they called a “test case”. Although Plessy was seven- eighths European descent and one- eighth African descent he was still considered African American and was required to sit in a “colored” railway car. Due to the “separate car act”. On June 7 th 1892 Plessy bought a first class ticket and boarded a “whites only” car. Plessy was arrested shortly after boarding after being asked to remove himself from the seat and move to the “blacks only” car. With the majority vote of seven to one the court ruled it as no violation of the fourteenth amendment and ruled it as a matter or “public policy”.