Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1869) p.671

SUBJECT

equal protection: separate but equal

FACTS

A 1/8 black man (ancestry was 7/8 white) was told he could not ride in a whites only train car. Challenged this on basis of racial discrimination.

ISSUE

Whether a black man can ride in a whites only train car.

HOLDING

As long as both train cars are the same it is okay to make racial discriminations.

RATIONAL

The black car is the same as the white car.

NOTES

This is where the separate but equal doctrine started. This lasted until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Created on: Wednesday, January 19, 2000 at 13:10:28 (PST)