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John Ferguson Vs Plessy Case

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In 1890 a group of citizens got together and decided to protest a Jim Crow Law requiring people of color to ride in a separate train car. They chose a man named Homer Plessy who was 7/8 white and 1/8 black. In the eyes of the law this made him black and therefore he had to ride in a separate train car. Homer Plessy sat in a white only railroad car and was arrested for violating the law. Plessy sued on the basis that the law was unconstitutional because it labels someone to discriminate against them. Louisiana judge John Ferguson ruled against Plessy and fined him $25. Ferguson argued that the state had the right to regulate the railroad. Plessy took his case to the State Supreme Court where he also lost. However, this set up the stage for

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