AP Gov- Plessy v. Ferguson
John Marshall Harlan's quote
"Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law."
When were the Reconstruction Amendments ratified?
After the Civil War
What was the rationale behind the Court's assertion that the law did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment?
It did not deem one race superior to the other and it does not necessarily imply that African Americans are inferior
What was the purpose of the Reconstruction Amendments?
It was an attempt to ensure greater liberty and equality for African Americans.
Why is Plessy v. Ferguson considered a test case?
Plessy purposely sat in the "whites only" section of the train so he could go to court
What specific clause did the Separate Car Act violate?
The Equal Protection Clause
What was the most famous loophole in the new Southern laws for whites?
The Grandfather Clause allowed whites to bypass the poll taxes and literacy tests. If your grandfather voted, then you can vote. At the time, no African American had a grandfather who voted
What Amendments were the Reconstruction Amendments?
13, 14, 15
What laws did Plessy's lawyers argue that the Separate Car Act violated?
13th and 14th Amendments
Where did the term "Jim Crow" originate from?
A blackface routine known as "Jump Jim Crow"
The Court cited the ____ ____ ____ ____ as a ____, which stated that an individual or business could discriminate against someone and it doesn't mean that slavery is being imposed on this person
Civil Rights Act, 1883, precedent
What did Homer Plessy do when the Separate Car Act was passed?
He formed the citizens committee to test the constitutionality of the Separate Car Act by staging an act of civil disobedience. This forced the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of segregation laws in general.
T/F: During the Jim Crow era, lawmakers directly violated the 15th Amendment?
False- instead of directly violating the 15th Amendment, lawmakers devised obstacles to voting that African Americans could not overcome
15th Amendment
Gave African American men the right to vote.
14th Amendment
Gave citizenship to all people born in the US, including former enslaved people- and guaranteed all citizens "equal protection of the law."
____ laws were passed to keep African Americans separate and ____
Jim Crow, powerless
Who wrote the majority opinion for the Court?
Justice Henry Billings Brown
Who was the lone dissenter in this case?
Justice John Marshall Harlan
Although the 15th Amendment gave them the right to vote, what things were put in place in order to keep African Americans from voting?
Literacy tests, poll taxes, and Grandfather Clauses
During the time, African Americans were ____, ____, and ____
Subjected to extreme violence and intimidation, held back from discriminatory laws, subjected to laws requiring their physical separation from whites
What law required all passenger railways to have separate train car accommodations for black and white citizens that were equal in facilities?
The Separate Car Act of 1890
How did Southern whites feel about African Americans with political power?
They feared that blacks with political power would integrate southern society.
How can the process of ensuring greater liberty and equality for African Americans be described?
Very difficult and trying. Passing the Reconstruction Amendments was just the beginning of the fight for equality.
What is a test case?
When a dispute is basically manufactured and the intent from the beginning is to end up in court to challenge a law.
Did Plessy lose the case?
Yes
13th Amendment
abolished slavery
Because of this ruling, segregation laws were considered ____ for the next ____ years
constitutional, 58
An ____ is a person who believes in the ____ of all people
egalitarian, equal
The 14th Amendment guarantees all citizens ____ ____ of the laws.
equal protection
This case established the ____ doctrine of ____ ____ ____
odious, "separate but equal"
In a test case, the hope is that the court's ruling sets a ____ that favors your view of the particular issue in question
precedent
Plessy v. Ferguson is considered a ____ ____
test case