Plessy V. Ferguson

Although the ratification of the 13th and 14th Amendments greatly pleased the African American population, it only caused more conflict between whites and blacks.

In 1896, a U.S. Supreme Court case between Homer Adolph Plessy and the state of Louisiana debated the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case was started due to the incident in 1892, in which Plessy bought a first class train ticket that was reserved for only whites. After purchasing his ticket, Plessy informed the train attendant that he was one-eighth black, however, the attendant had him arrested because only whites were allowed in first class. In spite of this, Plessy sued the company under the 13th and 14th Amendments. Under the 13th Amendment, slavery had been abolished, so by having "separate but equal" everything, it still felt as though slavery had never left. With the 14th Amendment, Plessy believed that because he is a citizen and is also white, he is entitled to have the same rights as any white person.

Unfortunately, Plessy was unable to win this court case. Under Louisiana's state law, there was a requirement to have separate train cars. Louisiana is allowed to due this because states have their own rights that don't have to be regulated under the federal level. Essentially, Plessy broke this law and therefore could not win this case.