Plessy vs. Ferguson

Today in class we had the Plessy vs. Ferguson mock trial in which both sides argued why they were in the right. The background of the case is that Homer Plessy a 1/8 th African American male bought and boarded a first-class white train car ticket. Since, at the time there was separate cars for blacks and whites, the "separate but equal" made what Homer did, against the law.

In the mock trail the Plessy side argued that Homer was not in the wrong for there should be absolute equality. That other trails such as Bush v Kentucky shall be used as a precedent to reconsider the law and the situation. They also argued that as a respected community member, he should be treated like any other member of the community, regardless of color. Even the founding documents of the nation were color blind therefore the principles today should be as well. Their last statement was that the Bible argues "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" meaning we are all born equal and we all die equal.

The Ferguson side argued under the "clean-hands" doctrine meaning Homer sat in the white car knowing he was breaking the law therefore should be punished or fined. They also argued that the Bible states that slaves should not act out or disrespect their masters, making it clear that there was a clear separation between races. Lastly, they said that since the cars were equal, there is no need for a change. The law was "separate but equal" and that is what it was, therefore nothing was wrong.

It was interesting to watch the Ferguson side struggle to find an argue although, in the real case Ferguson was the decided winner. It is hard to put ourselves in that time period where all races were not treated equally under the law. It is also crazy to think that the aftermath of slavery and the Civil War are still seen today. Understanding our nations history is important for that exact reason, we don't want to keep reliving the same events.