Question

The U.S. Supreme Court has played a critical role in determining exactly what civil rights American possess and who is entitled to those rights.

(c) Identify the legal doctrine that the Supreme Court articulated in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, and explain the effects of that decision on civil rights in the United States.
(d) Describe what the court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954, and explain the effects of that decision on civil rights in the United States.
(e) Describe what the court ruled in Minor v. Happersett in 1875, and explain the effect of that ruling on the strategy of the woman suffrage movement in the United States.

Answer 1

(c) The legal doctrine that the Supreme Court articulated in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 was "separate but equal," which allowed for segregation in public facilities as long as the separate facilities were equal in quality. This decision had significant effects on civil rights in the United States, as it effectively upheld segregation and discrimination against African Americans for many years.

(d) In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This decision had a major impact on civil rights in the United States, as it effectively ended legal segregation in public schools and paved the way for further civil rights legislation.

(e) In Minor v. Happersett in 1875, the Supreme Court ruled that women did not have the right to vote under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This ruling had a significant effect on the strategy of the woman suffrage movement in the United States, as it prompted suffragists to focus their efforts on lobbying for a constitutional amendment specifically granting women the right to vote. This eventually led to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.