Final answer:
In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court upheld the 'separate but equal' doctrine, allowing racial segregation as long as facilities for blacks and whites were equal. This ruling supported Jim Crow laws and de jure segregation until it was overturned in 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plessy v. Ferguson and 'Separate but Equal'
In the landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the Supreme Court delivered a ruling which upheld de jure segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal'. The case arose when Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in a railroad car designated for whites under Louisiana segregation laws. Asserting that his equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment were violated, Plessy's case escalated to the Supreme Court. The Court, in a 7-1 decision, disagreed and concluded that segregation did not imply discrimination, as long as the segregated facilities provided to each race were equal in quality. This ruling endorsed the constitutionality of racial segregation and reinforced the legal and social underpinnings of Jim Crow laws across the United States.
The Plessy decision legislated systemic inequality and set a precedent that persisted until it was overturned by the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. During this period, the obligation for equality in 'separate but equal' facilities often went unmet, perpetuating inferior conditions for African Americans. The Plessy v. Ferguson case's significance lies not only in its immediate impact but also in the subsequent civil rights struggles to demolish the segregationist legal framework it had sanctioned.