Plessy v. Ferguson: The Supreme Court Case That Enshrined Jim Crow
Summary
Host Don Wildman and constitutional historian Michael Ross examine the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, detailing how Homer Plessy’s staged arrest challenged Louisiana’s segregation laws. The episode explores the political climate of post-Reconstruction America, the strategic legal efforts of the Committee of Citizens, and the Court’s controversial “separate but equal” ruling. Ross highlights Justice John Marshall Harlan’s famous dissent and explains how this decision entrenched Jim Crow laws for decades.
Topics discussed
Intro and Sponsor Ads
The Arrest of Homer Plessy
Who Was Homer Plessy?
The Staged Protest and Separate Car Act
The Committee of Citizens and Reconstruction
The Civil Rights Act of 1875
The 1883 Civil Rights Cases Decision
Justice John Marshall Harlan's Dissent
Mid-Roll Sponsor Ads
Judge Ferguson and Albion Tourgée
The Supreme Court Decision
Harlan's Colorblind Constitution Argument
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Impact on Jim Crow and Voting Rights
Black American Reactions and Booker T. Washington
Legacy, Pardon, and Conclusion
Outro and Final Sponsor Ads
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