Plessy Vs. Ferguson: Separate but equal(In Theory)

 Plessy vs Ferguson is seen as one of the supreme courts' biggest blunders, that set forth a time of racial division and hatred. 

When Hommer Plessy was removed from that train car because of his skin color, the full power of the court system should have been there to back him up. The fact is, is that he was left behind. When the court said segregation is constitutional, every single African American was left behind. They were thrown to the side and told their existence will not be equal to the white man. 

The idea that separate but equal was passable in theory but when it was put to use, there was an overwhelming effort to attack the rights of African Americans. Schools would be separated by the color of skin, where whites would receive large amounts of funding from the government, and black schools would be left with old materials and crumbling one-room schoolhouses. The hate would spill over, with many African Americans, especially in the south, fearing for their lives, from groups like the Ku Klux Klan. 

Due to the Supreme Court rulling, new laws, such as the famous Jim Crowe Laws, Emerged in the south. It would seem as if the US had taken 1 step forward to take two steps back. After slavery had been outlawed and AA was given the right to vote, It looked as if our country was making some serious progress. But, what wasn't acknowledged was the deep ravine of hatred and anger directed towards these freed people. This crack would surface in the early 20th century, and remain visible through the 1960s and '70s. 

Thankfully the decision of Plessy vs Ferguson would be corrected and amended by the Historic case of Brown Vs Board of Ed.