Plessy V. Ferguson (1896) Essay

Homer Plessy and the Separate Car Act

Homer Plessy, who was 30 years old at the time, received a sentence on June 7, 1892, just for remaining inside a white vehicle that belonged to the East Louisiana Railroad. Plessy had light skin, but she was unable to stay in the vehicle and had to board with people of color. He also qualified as a Creole of Color because he had French, Caribbean, and Spanish ancestors who lived in Louisiana before it was incorporated into the United States. The Separate Car Act, which placed limitations on carriers based on their skin color, was enacted by the Louisianans in 1892. Despite the opposition by black civil rights organization, the Act became law in the courts.

The Plessy v. Ferguson Case

Plessy intentionally boarded a white car despite his black identity. The law enforcement arrested him, and the case proceeded to the Supreme Court. The defense offered by Plessy’s lawyer based on the argument that the Act was against the provisions of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution. However, upon hearing the case in 1896, it was held that the Separate Car Act was indeed constitutional. The decision upheld by the court was a seven-man majority with the judge being Henry Brown. Brown stated that the Separate Car Act was a mere statute that constitutionally laid a distinction based on skin color. Therefore, he concluded that the Act never interfered with the equality of the different races. The Fourteenth Amendment sought to create absolute legal equality among the white and colored races. Hence, the Act was unable to create a clear-cut line between social and political equality. Subsequently, the inception of the Jim Crow laws accelerated racial discrimination against African Americans.

Social Context

The French colonized Louisiana which later on led to the emergence of the tripartite separation of races by the law into whites, people of color, and African slaves. The people of color stemmed from sexual liaisons occurring during the colonial period which involved women slaves and white settlers. For this reason, the crossing lines of races not only led to half-whites but also the one-sixth blacks, one-fourth blacks, and one-eighth blacks. There was a separation of race, and the people of color (colored creoles) faced different social treatment from the white colonizers. More so, the mixed races were unable to access education in the Southern parts of Louisiana. The regime of racial hypodescent was becoming popular with people who “looked white” being no longer in that category as underlined by the “one-drop-rule.”

The Impact on Social Context

The ruling on Plessy v. Ferguson case reveals a forceful separation of individuals of different races. Moreover, in other states like Columbia, there were separate schools which clearly reveals inequality in the social context. Further, the Separate Car Act was not any different from the longstanding bans on interracial marriages. The “separate but equal” laws restored superiority to whites, and in some way, it scrapped off some of the policies that would ensure social equity among the different races after the Reconstruction era. Therefore, the ruling by the court for the Separate Car Act shows that true social equality was not the primary aim in the South. The argument for separation of people on racial lines is an indicator that elimination of social inequalities does not only require legislation but by these races appreciating each other.

Political Context

The concepts upon which the judges based their arguments on when ruling for “separate but equal” justifies that they had little interests in Southern politics. Therefore, the arrest of Plessy and later the ramifications made in court reveal that the whites succeed in reversing the colored races into their dark political years which dominated the Reconstruction period. The issue of white supremacy has been the spotlight for quite a long time, and it even becomes difficult to justify it. The passing into law the Separate Car Act meant that the whites had acquired the “political formula” that would make them superior to colored races. For this reason, the ever-rising consensus from courts has in the past years seen the segregation grounds of different races lose meaning. Further, the inequality in the political context stems from the exclusion of these individuals from participating in particular processes.

The Impact on Political Context

For the next sixty years after the ruling on the Plessy v. Ferguson case by Judge Brown, there would be mixed reactions arising from the political debates. He emphasized that the legislation had no power to eliminate racial separation that was already brought out by the physical appearances. He, therefore, admitted to the fact that the legislation created a political bias that only favored whites who were the country majority. For this reason, the ruling perpetuated administrative segregation despite facing opposition from many individuals. The people of color faced segregation following their access to less inferior public facilities, health facilities and even faced zoning laws. Despite the notion that the Separate Car Act ensured equality, the African-Americans and other people of color faced suppression of their political rights during the period.

Economic Context

The “separate but equal” laws presented racial issues which according to the economic context could be solved by lowering the racial prejudice and issuing equal opportunities to all people from the different races. The inequality between the whites and people of color meant that there would be an unequal access to educational facilities. Therefore, the government could not be able to eliminate illiteracy which is the main factor associated with poverty and mainly dominated South Louisiana. The “separate but equal” laws meant that the colored people could not exercise their economic rights effectively. In particular, they would not be able to convey and hold the property while on the other hand, they faced challenges in entering and enforcing contracts that involve their white counterparts.

The Impact on Economic Context

Unlike the modern times when rights appear fundamental, during the Reconstruction period the rights of individuals were under the jurisdiction of the states. Moreover, the resistance witnessed from the people cut down the willingness of the state agencies to allow the African Americans and other colored races to flourish. The “separate but equal” laws would propel white supremacy in the United States and allow slavery to thrive. Slavery has over the years been the biggest impediment to economic equality. Moreover, the education gap created through the access of different educational facilities yielded economic equality where there was little to no funding for Southern state schools. On the other hand, there were no property taxes in states occupied by people of color which meant the government would spend little on schools in these regions. While the “separate but equal” laws are not the only blame for the economic inequality among the African Americans and other colored people, it played a significant role in making them worse off.

Conclusion

The Plessy v. Ferguson case led to a ruling that accepted segregation among the different races. The public facilities such as public transport, health facilities, education centers among others had divisions for whites and people of color. For this reason, the Jim Crow laws had a social, political, and economic impact on the lives of United States citizens. Regarding the impact on the social context, there was a separation of race, and the people of color (colored creoles) faced different social treatment from the white colonizers. More so, the mixed races were unable to access education in the Southern parts of Louisiana. The regime of racial hypodescent was becoming popular with people who “looked white” being no longer in that category as underlined by the “one-drop-rule”.

The Impact on Political Context

Concerning the impact on the political context, the passing into law the Separate Car Act meant that the whites had acquired the “political formula” that would make them superior to colored races. For this reason, the ever-rising consensus from courts has in the past years seen the segregation grounds of different races lose meaning. Further, the inequality in the political context stems from the exclusion of these individuals from participating in particular processes. Lastly, the economic impact of the “separate but equal” laws was that the colored people could not exercise their economic rights effectively. In particular, they would not be able to convey and hold the property while on the other hand, they faced challenges in entering and enforcing contracts that involve their white counterparts.

Bibliography

Darden, Gary. “The New Empire In The ‘New South’: Jim Crow In The Global Frontier Of High Imperialism And Decolonization” 1, no. 1 (2010): 8-27.

Darity, William. “Overview The History Of Jim Crow Enforcement African Americans And Jim Crow Bibliography”. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciencies 4, no. 2 (2008): 198-201.

Finkelman, Paul. “Encyclopedia Of African American History 1896 To The Present” 1, no. 1 (2009): 1-32.

James, William and Hull Hoffer. “Plessy V. Ferguson: The Effects Of Lawyering On A Challenge To Jim Crow”. Journal of Supreme Court History 1, no. 1 (2017): 3-22.

Mohr, Clarence. “Minds Of The New South: Higher Education In Black And White, 1880-1915” 1, no. 1 (2013): 8-30.