may 18, 1896 - Plessy v Ferguson

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Plessy v Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. This case began with an 1892 incident in which Homer Plessy sat in the white car of a train, and refused to sit in the car for blacks when he was told to do so. Homer Plessy was one-half black and one-half white. Plessy argued that his constitutional rights were violated, but the Supreme Court ruled that segregation is constitutional as long as the service is provided to all people. As a result, restrictive Jim Crow legislation and separate public accommodations based on race became common.

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