Articles Index

Plessy v. Ferguson
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson condoned racial segregation throughout the South. For over 50 years, “separate but equal” laws applied to such places as public schools, restaurants, and parks. In the 1950s, Plessy v. Ferguson was finally overruled.

Creation of the Jim Crow South
In the South, during the 1870s and 1880s, it was not uncommon for blacks and whites to use the same public facilities. However, Supreme Court decisions began to strip away the gains of Reconstruction, which led the way to the creation of Jim Crow laws.