Question

What racial and cultural assumptions are inherent in the statement that "legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or abolish distinctions based upon physical differences?

Answer 1

The Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a Supreme Court decision that defended the "separate but equal” doctrine, which supported racial segregation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The quote provided refers to the Court´s claim that it was impossible to use the law to erase racial differences. By allowing separate-but-equal facilities, the Court established that the 14th Amendment applied only to political and civil rights, such as voting and being parto of a jury, but not social rights, which included sitting in any railroad car.