Plessy v. Ferguson: The Supreme Court Case That Enshrined Jim Crow
Summary
Host Don Wildman and historian Michael Ross examine the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the "separate but equal" doctrine. They detail how Homer Plessy and the Committee of Citizens staged his arrest to challenge Louisiana’s segregation laws, hoping to overturn Jim Crow via the 14th Amendment. Despite John Marshall Harlan’s famous dissent, the Court’s ruling entrenched racial segregation for decades, shaping the legal landscape of the Civil Rights Movement.
Topics discussed
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Introduction to Plessy v. Ferguson and guest Michael Ross
Homer Plessy's background and the Committee of Citizens
The staged arrest and the Separate Car Act of 1890
Reconstruction's collapse and the Civil Rights Act of 1875
The 1883 Civil Rights Cases and Justice John Marshall Harlan
Supreme Court politics and the desire for North-South reconciliation
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Judge John Howard Ferguson and the lower court proceedings
Albion Tourgée and the legal strategy for the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court decision and Harlan's famous dissent
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The legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson and the rise of Jim Crow
Homer Plessy's life after the case and the path to Brown v. Board
Conclusion, guest bio, and final sponsor ads
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