It was the Separate but Equal doctrine.
According to this doctrine, racial segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guaranteed ' equal protection' under the law to all people. This doctrine was confirmed in Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision of 1896, which allowed for state-sponsored segregation.
<em>Jim Crow laws</em> were state and local laws that enforced local segregation in the United States. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens. The<em> 'separate but equal</em>' policy was extended to public facilities, means of transport, schools, restaurants and restrooms. The facilities were, however, interior and underfunded compared to the facilities of white Americans.
