Journal 1-21 What does “Separate but equal” mean? How does this phrase apply to American history?

Topics/Events to Cover: Unit Broken up into 6 chronological sections: Slavery Civil War Reconstruction Tension leading up to Civil Rights Civil Rights TODAY

End of Reconstruction Many Northerners lose interest in the cause because it was costing a lot of money. Darwinism contributed to this because it caused a paradigm shift in North Darwinism: If whites are naturally a superior race, why are we fighting nature and spending all of this money on a lost cause? 1876 Election and Bargain of 1877: Close race. The republican candidate would be made president but in turn, he would remove federal troops from the South.

How did America proceed after Reconstruction? Essential Question: How did America proceed after Reconstruction?

Lecture on Post-Reconstruction laws Agenda: Lecture on Post-Reconstruction laws Literacy Test Plessy vs. Ferguson You be the judge! The Verdict

Post-Reconstruction 14th Amendment: People of all races treated equal by law Many states got around this by segregating people Segregation: Separating people by race Jim Crow Laws: Racial segregation laws enacted between 1876 and 1965. Those in support of these laws argued, “separate but equal”

Post-Reconstruction 15th Amendment: Cannot restrict voting based on race. The South got around this law… Literacy Tests: Some states required blacks to take timed “literacy tests” to vote that didn’t actually test literacy at all. Grandfather Clause: If your grandfather did not vote, you cannot vote either. Some states required a payment to vote, knowing that many blacks did not have the money.

Literacy Test! GO!!! You have TEN minutes! You must complete the entire test. ONE wrong answer is a failing grade. If you leave a space blank, that is considered a wrong answer. GO!!!

Plessy vs. Ferguson Background: In 1890, Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act, requiring that there were separate railway cars for blacks and whites. A man named Homer Plessy, who was in a group of citizens that wanted to repeal this act, bought a train ticket and boarded a “whites only” car of the East Louisiana railroad on June 7, 1892. Plessy was asked to leave the car and get on a “blacks only” car, but he refused. The railway company had been informed about Plessy and they were ready with someone to arrest him.

Plessy vs. Ferguson In this case, Homer Plessy vs. The State of Louisiana, Plessy’s lawyers argued that the railway company denied Plessy’s 13th and 14th amendment rights, which call for equal treatment under law. However, the judge presiding over his case, John Howard Ferguson, decided that Louisiana had a right to regulate their railway cars within state boundaries. Plessy was convicted and sentenced a $25 fine. Plessy appealed this and it eventually went to the Supreme Court as Plessy vs. Ferguson How do you think the Supreme Court ruled?

The Facts: Think-Pair-Share Plessy’s lawyer argued that his conviction was a violation of the 13th and 14th amendments. 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. 14th Amendment: People by all races must be treated equal by law. Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act, making it illegal to sit in the opposite race’s car. Plessy sat in the “whites only” car, and was arrested Segregation is legal because “separate but equal” Does Plessy’s conviction violate the 13th and 14th amendment? 2. What do you think happened?

Verdict: Plessy was found guilty This case set a precedent for many similar cases in the future. It set the precedent that “separate” facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were “equal.” The “separate but equal” doctrine was quickly extended to cover many areas of public life, such as restaurants, theaters, restrooms, and public schools. The doctrine was a cover. Facilities for blacks were always inferior to those for whites.