The Case
In 1890 Louisiana passed a law providing separate trains for Whites and Blacks. In 1892, Homer A. Plessy was arrested for refusing to leave a “Whites Only” railway car in Louisiana. Plessy described himself as 7/8ths white and 1/8th black. Plessy took his case to court, arguing that his 13th and 14th Amendments rights were being violated. The case reached the Supreme Court. The court ruled that the “Separate but Equal” laws created by many states were constitutional, and that such laws that promoted segregation did not violate the 13th or 14th Amendments.
Economic Significance
The Plessy v. Ferguson verdict helped legalize the doctrine of “separate but equal” as a constitutional justification for segregation. Jim Crow laws would endure for the next 60 years. The most significant consequence was the segregation of people in public spaces. However, the economic consequence would be that schools would be segregated, not allowing Black an equal opportunity at an education that would in turn not provide equal access to jobs, wealth and housing.