“Separate but Equal” sample essay

At the end of the 19th century, after the Civil War, racial issues in the United States were very common and controversial. Different states had different laws regarding the blacks and segregation. There have also been lawsuits concerning racial issues. One of such lawsuits resulted in the social doctrine of “separate but equal,” which implied that whites and blacks would be provided separate services (e.g. railway cars, hotels), and this lawsuit is Plessy v. Ferguson [163 U.S. 537 (1896)].

As the tension between the blacks and the unjust laws and attitudes grew after the Civil War, these blacks have tried (both implicitly and explicitly) to challenge these rules and demand equality. One such try – the most famous nowadays – was Homer Plessy’s attempt in Louisiana to stay in the rail car for whites, while he was one-eighth black. He purchased the ticket for whites, and successfully sat in the whites section, until he purposefully told the conductor about his racial lineage. The train conductor asked Plessy to proceed to the African-Americans only car, but Plessy refused, backing his arguments with the thirteenth amendment of the United States Constitution. Plessy refused and was arrested.

Four years later, the case arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court, where Justice Henry Billings Brown rejected Plassy’s arguments. The court said that separation by race does not imply any superiority of one race over the other. Instead they claimed that if it were so, then the cars for whites would have been better than ones for blacks. And truly, the cars for whites and blacks were the same. However, the complementary services like cafes and restrooms were significantly poorer for the blacks.

Although Homer Plessy was proved guilty and was in fact fined $25, the result of his actions was significant. This Homer Adolph Plessy v. The State of Louisiana (or Plessy v. Ferguson) lawsuit has made the society reconsider the policies concerning the segregation by race. After the case, “separate but equal” social doctrine was established, which stated that the segregation by race was only legal if the services and facilities were equal for both races.

The term “separate but equal” became popular amongst attorneys, and was many a time referred to in cases about segregation. The phrase was also important during the actual segregation period. However, in reality, facilities for African-Americans were very often poorer equipped and lower quality.Order custom essay now!