Which statement about Plessy v. Ferguson is true?

Which statement about Plessy v. Ferguson is true?

• A. It ended segregation in the United States
• B. It established the 'separate but equal' doctrine was unconstitutional
• C. It upheld federal authority over states in civil rights
• D. It legalized state-ordered segregation and allowed 'separate but equal' facilities

Answer: (D)

Plessy v. Ferguson established the legal basis for racial segregation by upholding state laws that required separate facilities for Black and white people, as long as those facilities were deemed equal in quality. This created the famous “separate but equal” doctrine, which allowed states to enforce segregation in public roads, schools, transit, and other public accommodations. That’s why the statement describing Plessy v. Ferguson as having legalized state-ordered segregation and allowed “separate but equal” facilities is the true one. It did not end segregation; it institutionalized it for decades. It also did not declare the doctrine unconstitutional—that would come later with Brown v. Board of Education. While federal power is involved in civil rights, the central issue here is the legality of state-imposed segregation under the Fourteenth Amendment, which Plessy supported at the time.

Plessy v. Ferguson established the legal basis for racial segregation by upholding state laws that required separate facilities for Black and white people, as long as those facilities were deemed equal in quality. This created the famous “separate but equal” doctrine, which allowed states to enforce segregation in public roads, schools, transit, and other public accommodations. That’s why the statement describing Plessy v. Ferguson as having legalized state-ordered segregation and allowed “separate but equal” facilities is the true one. It did not end segregation; it institutionalized it for decades. It also did not declare the doctrine unconstitutional—that would come later with Brown v. Board of Education. While federal power is involved in civil rights, the central issue here is the legality of state-imposed segregation under the Fourteenth Amendment, which Plessy supported at the time.