Plessy vs Ferguson Case (jan 1, 1896 – dec 31, 1896)
Description:
Supreme Court was independent and didn’t rely on Southern Politicians to enforce civil rights (unlike the Congress)They could have banned segregation laws as they weren’t constitutional, but they didn’t
Instead, in 1896, the Federal Supreme Court had ruled in the Plessy vs Ferguson case that separate facilities were allowed if they were equal
They rarely were equal, but had set a legal precedent that had been many times when civil rights groups had tried to challenge segregation through the courts
The Supreme Court was influenced by the views if it’s judges → many were against civil rights for African Americans
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1896
dec 31, 1896
~ 12 months