Question

In the case Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" was constitutional. True or false?

Answer 1

In the case Plessy v. Ferguson, it is true that the Supreme Court ruled that the "separate but equal" was constitutional.

Answer 2

The correct answer is TRUE.

Plessy v. Ferguson is a case from 1896 which, back then, lead to the enactment of a landmark decision by the US Supreme Court .

The decision allowed the proliferation of segregated public facilities under the belief that, if facilities were equal in quality, such system was not violating the Equal Protection Clause that guaranteed equality of rights for all US citizens. Such clause had been included in the 14th Amendment to the US Consitution, issued in 1868 during the Reconstruction Era.

Through this decision the US Supreme Court accepted the constitutionality of the denominated "separate but equal" lemma and, as a consquence, of segregation.