Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court decision made on May 18, 1896 that reinforced Jim Crow America. It made "separate but equal" the official law of the land.
The Plessy v. Ferguson case stated that it wasn't unconstitutional to have legalized segregation, as long as the result was equal. As we know, "separate but equal" was anything but, but as long as white people remained supreme, we didn't care.
The case itself is out of New Orleans, a man, Plessy, had refused to give up his seat in the "white only" section of a train, because he was only 1/8th Black, and since he was white-passing, said he should be able to sit in the "white only" section. Due to the one-drop rule and general racism, Plessy lost his case. It went to the Supreme Court, who upheld the ruling, and white supremacy.
This is another good example of the Supreme Court being used to uphold white supremacy. As we will see with the next couple of posts, it waxes and wanes in support, based on the white people's attitudes of the time, and is hardly permanent. We like to think of the Supreme Court as an indicator of the nation's progress, but it really isn't. It depends entirely on who is on it, and what they stand to lose or gain by the decisions.
Here are more resources about Plessy v. Ferguson:
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