Question

Read the excerpt from the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson. That petitioner was a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of Louisiana, of mixed descent . . . on June 7, 1892, he engaged and paid for a first class passage on the East Louisiana Railway . . . and thereupon entered a passenger train, and took possession of a vacant seat in a coach where passengers of the white race were accommodated; that such railroad company was incorporated by the laws of Louisiana as a common carrier, and was not authorized to distinguish between citizens according to their race. But, notwithstanding this, petitioner was required by the conductor, under penalty of ejection from said train and imprisonment, to vacate said coach and occupy another seat in a coach assigned by said company for persons not of the white race. How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education? The Brown case addresses whether localities have the authority to label individuals by race. The Brown case addresses whether the laws of Southern states are racially biased. The Brown case addresses whether penalties and punishments can legally vary by race. The Brown case addresses whether facilities separated by race are permissible by law.

Answer 1

The answer is D. I just took the test

Answer 2

The Brown case addresses whether localities have the authority to label individuals by race.I would say that this sentence sums up the main point about this case of blatant discrimination in flagrant violation of the law. The passenger was fully within his rights to claim his paid up seat in first class by the law of Louisana regardless of what race of people was already sitting there and being barred from doing so and being threatened with ejection from the coach and imprisonment for non-compliance was only done by decision of the local authorities including the conductor so was not valid by law not to mention the gross violation of human/civil rights especially after the civil war in which slave society was overthrownl