Asked by Dorian Haywood on May 14, 2024
Verified
Which of the following statements about the case of Plessy v.Ferguson is LEAST accurate?
A) The case resulted from the arrest of Plessy,a man who was seven-eighths white,who refused to leave his seat in the whites-only section of a Louisiana train.
B) The case was instigated by black Louisianans who set up Plessy for arrest to test the state's new law segregating railroad cars.
C) Both a lower court judge,John H.Ferguson,and the Supreme Court of Louisiana,upheld Plessy's arrest.
D) Although the U.S.Supreme Court upheld the legality of "separate but equal" state facilities,it did so by a bare majority,with four justices writing heated dissents.
Plessy v. Ferguson
A landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."
Segregating Railroad Cars
Refers to the historical practice, particularly in the United States, of separating passengers on trains based on race, which was a common form of institutionalized racial segregation.
Supreme Court
The highest federal court in the United States, which has the final jurisdiction over all federal and state court cases involving issues of federal law or the Constitution.
- Grasp the implications and outcomes of pivotal Supreme Court decisions such as Plessy v. Ferguson on racial segregation.
Verified Answer
CM
Clint MeffordMay 16, 2024
Final Answer :
D
Explanation :
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was not a close decision with a bare majority; it was a 7-1 decision, indicating a strong majority in favor of upholding the "separate but equal" doctrine, with only one justice, John Marshall Harlan, dissenting.
Learning Objectives
- Grasp the implications and outcomes of pivotal Supreme Court decisions such as Plessy v. Ferguson on racial segregation.