Plessy v. Ferguson

Definition

This was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."

Related terms

Brown v. Board of Education (1954): A landmark Supreme Court case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal.

Jim Crow Laws: State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Civil Rights Act of 1964: A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.