Seperate and Unequal: A Look Back Upon the Plessy v. Ferguson Trial

I remember a time in my life when as a white (Caucasian) urban northerner I first heard of the ruling on the Plessy Vs. Ferguson court case. It was late May and the case had been going for about a month, since April 13^th I believe. The case seemed to garnish quite a bit of media attention, but for me it wasn't any big deal. I mean it wasn't like they had killed a man or something. Homer Plessy looked white to me, well I never saw him, but a friend of a friend of mine said he was as white as I was, so as far as I'm concerned this case wasn't that important. Especially if it was about whether a white man could sit in the white section or not.

Well I guess this case probably runs a little deeper then that. I'm not too sure if it is just about one man wanting to sit in the white section of a railroad car. If that's all he wanted then he probably would have just said "I'm a white man" and then he would have been left alone. Seeing as he classified himself as mixed I'm sure there is a bigger picture to behold.

I believe that the official ruling on the case held that "The "separate but equal" provision of public accommodations by state governments is constitutional under the Equal Protection Clause." (Thomas, Brook. Plessy V. Ferguson,). I would say that if this were the case then yes the court held the right position for this court case. If the white car was just as nice as the Black car and if everyone was treated the same then yes it would be legal under the law. While it may not be right, in my opinion, it would still be legal under the law.

However, The fact of the matter remains that according to many sources (friends of mine whom have ridden in the rail cars and seen the cars which the blacks ride in) the treatment was not equal in both situations and white rail cars were much nicer and kept much better and cleaner than the cars allowed for blacks. So I believe that it is safe to say that despite what the court found to be constitutional, this case should not of gone in favor of Ferguson. The rail cars were not equal and therefore the "separate but equal" provision of public accommodations does not apply here.

Furthermore I don't see why there is any form of separate but equal treatment. Especially in the south. What makes the government think that the southern states will respect the rights of African Americans. What makes the government think that for one second the south would treat blacks the same as whites. I mean its just asinine to think that 40 years ago those states had these poor people as slaves, and now all the sudden the government expects them to (on their own no less) begin treating blacks equally with whites. I personally believe that all races are equal and I think that it's a wonderful concept for everyone to be treated as such.

But considering the circumstances I don't see how so many treasonous rebels can be expected to uphold the laws that are so very near and true to this country. I mean it's the 14^th amendment, which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Plain and simple the 14^th amendment is supposed to stop this stuff from happening.

I think the Supreme Court dropped the ball on this one. They had a chance to show those southern belles what the real power of the law is and who the real rulers of this country are and they fell down on the job.

Overall I've been thinking about what this all means. I mean I don't really agree with what the courts decided but there is nothing I can do about it. So what does this mean for blacks and whites? It could mean that things will simply continue as such and everything will be the same as before, but maybe it means something more. Society is changing. The African-American is getting a better foothold for what is his in this country and I'm sure some of them are even becoming wealthy. What will they do? I'm sure they don't appreciate what is happening to them. I would not like it if someone made me ride in a separate rail car from other people just because I was Irish. Granted my Irish ancestors had a pretty hard time but they never went through slavery the way these Negroes did. And it still doesn't change the fact that Irish is not considered separate from Caucasian.

The African Americans are growing and becoming more and more a part of this country. They have every right to be here and to grow and prosper as any other, and to separate them based on their skin color is just wrong. Why is there a need for racial separation? I'm positive that question is going to be a huge one with in the next few years. I mean sure if the southern racist governments can make two rail cars completely equal then its theoretically fine for a white man to be in one and a black man in the other, but why does that distinction need to be made at all? Why can't they sit in whatever car they please? These people worked side by side for a hundred years during slavery, if anything it should be the blacks that are getting the better rail car. I don't think this issue is solved at all. I can see this case as merely being a testing ground for African Americans to see where the federal government stands on matters of racial segregation. Make my words within the next 50 years there will be some huge changes in the way African Americans are treated. At least there should be some huge changes. If there are not then I'd be surprised. Plessy was willing to push the issue this far and its only 1896. I can't imagine this racism going through to the twenty-first century. Surely neither the white man or the black man would allow that to happen. Certainly this will not continue in this county, which emphasizes freedom and liberty for all above all else.