Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Call us: (216) 932-3600
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. 1619 Project
  4. /
  5. Supreme Court Decisions part...

Supreme Court Decisions part 1

by | May 3, 2022 | 1619 Project

Plessy v. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established the constitutionality of racial segregation. The decision created the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case was the result of an 1892 incident in which African American train passenger, Homer Plessy, refused to move to the segregated car.

National Archives: Plessy v Ferguson text of the decision

Library of Congress U.S. Reports: Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896) – The opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States are published officially in a set of case books called the United States Reports.

Original Louisiana court documents related to the Plessy case from the Louisiana Digital Library

The Plessy & Ferguson Foundation – Committed to educating the public in the legacy of the 1892 Supreme Court Plessy v. Ferguson landmark decision and its impact on African American life; and by understanding the past we are better able to work together and create a more just and equitable future.

Plessy v. Ferguson at Khan Academy – Kim Kutz Elliott discusses the case with scholars Jamal Greene and Earl Maltz.
Clarence Thomas on Plessy v. Ferguson – Summary, Case Brief, Effects, Facts given to the Supreme Court Historical Society in 1997.
1619 Interviews – Steve Luxenberg on Plessy V. Ferguson – He discusses the people most influential in arguing and deciding the Supreme Court case: civil rights activist Albion W. Tourgée, the Great Dissenter John Marshall Harlan, and Henry Billings Brown who wrote the Plessy decision.
On the Media: Separate and Unequal – To contextualize the road to Plessy, Bob spoke with Steve Luxenberg, author of the new book, Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation.
The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson Podcast – Hosted on the 124th anniversary of the infamous decision, this virtual program tells the story of Plessy v. Ferguson in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of segregation.