Question
1.) In Plessy versus Ferguson, what were the arguments for “separate but equal” legislation? What were the arguments against this legislation? What is a dissent? What are the implications of Harlan’s dissent? What is Harlan’s fundamental objection to the decision? What is Harlan’s view of legal distinctions based on racial considerations? What does he feel will be the consequences of this decision? What does the Court say is the underlying fallacy of the plaintiff’s argument? Give three examples during this time in which state legislation sustained separation. Make sure you read about the Plessy case.
2.) Explain: Legislation “is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or to abolish distinctions based upon physical differences, and the attempt to do so can only result in accentuating the difficulties of the present situation.” What effect did Plessy versus Fergusonhave? Make sure you read about the Plessy case.
3.) How and why had blacks, particularly in the South, been subjected to second-class citizenship by 1900? Why were Jim Crow laws predominantly in the South? How did Jim Crow happen? Make sure you read about the Plessy case.
4.) Analyze how African Americans were challenging white supremacy before World War I. Make sure you read about the Plessy case.
