Plessy v Ferguson Brown v Board of EducationHow the Separate But Equal Doctrine Changed
Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education were two major Supreme Court cases that dealt with discrimination issues, specifically race issues. In 1896, the Supreme Court decided against Homer Plessy and in favor of the State of Louisiana in Plessy v. Ferguson, standing behind the theory of “separate but equal”(Plessy 1), which held that there could be separate facilities for black and white people as long as they were equal for both. In 1954, the Supreme Court over turned that ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. They ruled that the “separate but equal” theory did not actually create equality for everyone. Thus, the nine justices ruled in favor of Brown, whose lawyers argued that separation violated the fourteenth amendment (Brown 1). ... Separation, at the time, was thought of, by the government, as a way to keep social peace, justice and equality for everyone (Plessy 1). The “separate but equal” doctrine was created to do this. The phrase “separate but equal” has changed over time.