“Separate but Equal”Plessey vs. Ferguson and Jim Crow Laws

What is it? The phrase “separate

but equal” pertains to facilities used by blacks and whites

Blacks would have to use separate facilities (schools, train cars, restrooms, parks, etc) that were equal in quality

Whites used this as an excuse to exclude blacks and deny them service

Where did it come from?

States were passing laws to segregate railroads Separate Car Act 1892- legally segregated common

carriers (different cars for blacks and whites) Homer Plessey was part of a planned

challenge of this law’s constitutionality Was the second challenge

Arrested – Defended by Tourgee Case: How would you defend Plessey’s

rights?????

Plessey vs. Ferguson Local court determined law was Constitutional

(did not violate 14th amendment) Judge: John Howard Ferguson

Went to Louisiana State Court Constitutionality upheld

Supreme Court- 1896 8 out of 9 judges voted against Tourgee’s case

Enforced separation does not "stamp" blacks with the badge of inferiority, because both blacks and whites were treated equally under the law--in the sense that whites were forbidden to sit in a railroad car designated for blacks.

Impact Gave the South the “green light”

for segregation Schools, restaurants, theaters, etc.

In reality, facilities were not equal Continued into the 1950s – Brown vs.

Board of Education Nicknamed “Jim Crow Laws” Media depiction- Remember the Titans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Knh3o_6xs

Review

Who was Plessey? Ferguson? Was this an organized protest? How did Southern society respond to this

court case?

Response to the Jim Crow Laws Many African Americans began migrating

North Many areas still segregated, but not to the

extent of the South Lack of acceptance in some areas

NYC race riot of 1900

Great Migration In the 1920s Migration to the North increased

enormously Push factors:

Escape racial discrimination Boll weevil infestation ruined crops in the South

Pull factors: Job opportunities in the North

Henry Ford – 1914 World War I

Drop in European immigration Immigration Act of 1924

Great Migration Northern manufacturers in need of

workers distributed rail passes Chicago Defender promoted vision of

prosperity in the North Hazards of living in the South Job openings in the North Train schedules

Statistics: ~500,000 blacks moved North between 1915 and 1920

Review

Why was there an influx of migration to the North in the 1920s? Push and pull factors

Who encouraged this move and how? How did some Northerners respond?