Plessy Vs. Ferguson Case Study

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Recommended: Triangular trade reasearch paper

Definition of the term and the significance it has to the issues raised in class. 1. Triangular Trade: a. Definition: In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the triangular trade was used to ship goods in exchange for services from Britain. It went from Britain to West Africa where they exchanged for slaves, then those slaves were shipped to the West Indies and exchanged for goods such as sugar, rum, and other things; which, were all shipped back to Britain. The sixteenth-century trade was similar as well, sent European products to Africa and that is where they were exchanged for slaves, then the slaves were transported to the Americas and sold. This trade involved Europe, Africa, and the Americas. b. Significance: This proved for Britain …show more content…

Plessy VS. Ferguson: a. Definition: The Plessy VS. Ferguson case was important in a few ways. In 1892, Plessy did not want to sit in a Jim Crow car and at that time, that was illegal. In other words, he sat on a segregated train that was strictly for white people and refused to ride in the “Jim Crow” train for him. So, they took Plessy in front of a judge (Ferguson) and the case was challenged because it conflicted with the 13 and 14th amendments. It established at the end of the case that a state law implies merely a legal distinction between the two races. And, it did not conflict with the 13th amendment forbidding involuntary servitude. b. Significance: The case essentially stated the “separate but equal” laws, that defined you were segregated but equal. This was really the first time we see segregation in a light when it came to blacks and whites. Up until now we had that inferiority aspect, but nothing was segregated – there was never a term for it and they never established a law for it. But, once the law comes around and states that you have to be segregated, such as using your own water fountains and using your own bathrooms it started to change. Differentiating blacks from whites became something that was completely opposite of the other. It was ‘laxed before this for simpler words, it never really got this

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