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Summary Of The Plessy Vs. Ferguson Case

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Summary Of The Plessy Vs. Ferguson Case
Throughout history, racism has been a pervasive problem in society. The road to integration has been a long and difficult process. In 1896, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case became a enormous part of history and contributed to many future cases. This case occurred because Plessy, who was only one-eighth black, got thrown off a train for sitting in the “whites only” section. Plessy lost this case and the court’s decision was based on the Jim Crow South law that stated everybody is “separate but equal”. This decision was based upon how the fourteenth amendment was interpreted and the court looked at it with concern regarding legality rather than social violation. After this case, many people disagreed with the federal government because the …show more content…
Black students were not allowed to transfer to other New Rochelle buildings. In 1957, nine students in Little Rock strived to integrate into the Central High School. When entering the high school, a white mob was waiting angrily outside, trying to put a stop to the integration. Thurgood Marshall, a NAACP lawyer, granted access to permit the students into the school. Martin Luther King Jr. made a point that the government should take a stand in order to eliminate segregation. For example he stated, “This is a great opportunity for you and the federal government to back up the longings and aspirations of millions of peoples of goodwill and make law and order a reality” (King, 9 September 1957). This action in Little Rock influenced the parents in New Rochelle to stand up for their children’s educational rights. In 1960 when the question of rebuilding on the Lincoln School Property was about to be put before the community to vote, eleven black families were determined to fight the injustice occurring to their children and sue the New Rochelle Board of Education. Some leaders, both white and black, resisted the idea of reconstruction of the Lincoln School which was built in 1898 and made a point to remove their children from the segregated school. Parents tried to enroll their children in the Ward School and even had lawyers travel with some children to the Roosevelt School in order to protect their rights to be admitted.(Document

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