In 1890 the
State of Louisiana adopted the separate car act which stated that Blacks and
Whites had to use separate cars in trains, buses as well as in other public
transportations.
Homer
Plessy, was an octoroon who initiated those laws; that is interesting to
mention that this man was seven-eighths White but in reality he looked like a
White man. In 1892 he decided to challenge the law because he wanted to cancel
it.
Homer Plessy
One day, he
decided to sit on a place reserved for White people. He was immediately
arrested and sentenced to pay a fine with an amount of $25.
Then he
decided to continue the judiciary process all the way up to the judiciary
Court. Finally, the Court studied the case on April 1896 and handed out its
final decision on May, 18th.
There was a
seven to one majority and the Court declared that the separate car act did not
go against the 14th Amendment.
In the end, the « SEPARATE BUT EQUAL »
principle was declared constitutional.
So the only
dissenting voice was John M.Harlan’s ones.
He wanted the Court decision to be as unpopular as the Dred Scott’s
decision and in fact he was right. The Southern States all jumped on the
occasion to use a lot the « separate but equal » principle which made
segregation legal and common in the South. Obviously, it was all with the
blessing of the Supreme Court.
In the end,
we can say that the separate part was respected but the equal part were not
really respected.
In reality segregation has never been "equal"...
Mr Grenet teacher of "USA's History"
