Read the following excerpt taken from the US Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).The case coming on for a hearing before the Supreme Court, that court was of opinion that the law under which the prosecution had was constitutional, and denied the relief prayed for by the petitioner. Ex parte Plessy, 45 La.Ann. 80. Whereupon petitioner prayed for a writ of error from this court, which was allowed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.MR. JUSTICE BROWN, after stating the case, delivered the opinion of the court.This case turns upon the constitutionality of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, passed in 1890, providing for separate railway carriages for the white and colored races. Acts 1890, No. 111, p. 152.The first section of the statute enacts"that all railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in this State shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations: Provided, That this section shall not be construed to apply to street railroads. No person or persons, shall be admitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them on account of the race they belong to." The Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson was problematic because
Read the excerpt from the US Supreme court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).The statute of Louisiana, acts of 1890, c. 111, requiring railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in that State, to provide equal, but separate, accommodations for the white and colored races, by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations; and providing that no person shall be permitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them, on account of the race they belong to; and requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs; and conferring upon officers of the train power to refuse to carry on the train passengers refusing to occupy the coach or compartment assigned to them, and exempting the railway company from liability for such refusal, are not in conflict with the provisions either of the Thirteenth Amendment or of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Which best explains why the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional?
Read the excerpt from “First Joint Debate at Ottawa,” by Abraham Lincoln. Now, I have no means of totally disproving such charges as this which the Judge makes. A man cannot prove a negative; but he has a right to claim, that when a man makes an affirmative charge, he must offer some proof to show the truth of what he says. I certainly cannot introduce testimony to show the negative about things, but I have a right to claim that if a man says he knows a thing, then he must show how he knows it. I always have a right to claim this, and it is not satisfactory to me that he may be “conscientious” on the subject.Does the author use a consistent tone in the passage?
Read this line from "Harlem." Or does it explode?Read this line from "The Weary Blues."Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.What sense do both of these lines rely on?
Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.
Read the passage from Black Boy.I realized that, though ties of blood made us kin, though I could see a shadow of my face in his face, though there was an echo of my voice in his voice, we were forever strangers, speaking a different language, living on vastly distant planes of reality.Which best describes Wright’s attitude toward his father in this excerpt?
Read the sentence.The investors could not handle the ups and downs so they removed their funds from the fluctuating market.Using the context clues, what is the meaning of the underlined word?
Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education.In each of the cases other than the Delaware case, a three-judge federal district court denied relief to the plaintiffs on the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine announced by this Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537.The Supreme Court cites these cases because it seeks to
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern.How does King rebut his critics’ claim?
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
Read the excerpt from Black Boy.Again I was faced with choices I did not like, but I finally agreed. After all, my hate for my father was not so great and urgent as my hate for the orphan home. My mother held to her idea and one night a week or so later I found myself standing in a room in a frame house. My father and a strange woman were sitting before a bright fire that blazed in a grate. My mother and I were standing about six feet away, as though we were afraid to approach them any closer.Wright explains his difficult choice in this excerpt in order to show that he was
Read the excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.. . . nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
What is one difference in the themes of "Harlem" and "The Weary Blues"?
How does the mention of Governor Faubus in Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower strengthen the main argument of the letter?
Which best identifies Jackie Robinson’s reason for writing his letter to President Eisenhower?
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.As the chief executive of our nation, I respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the spirit of freedom in Negroes by constantly urging forbearance and give hope to those pro-segregation leaders like Governor Faubus who would take from us even those freedoms we now enjoy. Your own experience with Governor Faubus is proof enough that forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek. Which best explains the purpose of Robinson’s letter?
Read the following excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.As the chief executive of our nation, I respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the spirit of freedom in Negroes by constantly urging forbearance and give hope to those pro-segregation leaders like Governor Faubus who would take from us even those freedoms we now enjoy. Your own experience with Governor Faubus is proof enough that forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek. To which specific historic event is Jackie Robinson referring to in the letter?
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years.This excerpt contains an historical allusion to
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s letter to President Eisenhower.I respectfully remind you sir, that we have been the most patient of all people. When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years.Which best explains why Robinson includes this description of Black people?
Did you find these answers helpful?