Civil Rights Cases

• When were the Slaughterhouse cases?

  1873
• When were the Civil Rights Cases?

  1883
• When was Plessey v Ferguson?


  1896
• When was Williams v Mississippi?


  1898
• When was Cumming v Richmond Board of Education?


  1899
• What type of case was Plessey v Ferguson?

  A test case, to take the case to the Supreme Court?
• Who wanted the case as a test case?

  The Citizens Committee, a civil rights group
• Which law were they testing?

  The 1890 Louisiana Separate Car Act
• Why was Plessey chosen?

  He was white passing so was able to buy a 1st class ticket, while being 1/8th black
• When was the initial incident with Plessey?

  1892
• Who did the judge and state Supreme Court rule in favour of?

  The decision to jail him and approved the separate carriages
• Who went against the decision of the Supreme Court?

  The lone dissenter, Justice John Harlan
• What provision was made after Plessey v Ferguson?

  The doctrine of 'separate but equal' which endorsed state's rights to segregation
• What followed the decision of Plessey v Ferguson?

  State laws establishing separate facilities for black and white people across the South
• Why did Williams challenge his verdict?

  He challenged it on the basis that Mississippi unconstitutionally excluded black Americans from grand juries
• What Mississippi law restricted jurors?

  Jurors had to be qualified voters
• What did Williams claim about Mississippi law?

  It had been adopted for purposes of discrimination
• What was the outcome of Williams v Mississippi?

  Supreme Court ruled that the laws were not discriminatory when it required voters to pass a literacy test and to pay the poll tax
• What did this show about the Supreme Court's decision?

  It did nothing to uphold the 15th Amendment which said black males should have the vote
• What was difficult for Cumming to do?

  To find a lawyer willing to argue their case in the Supreme Court
• What did Cumming object to?

  The fact that Georgia county had continued to fund a white high school but stop funding a black one
• How many black high schools were there in the South?

  4
• What did the county argue in Cummings?

  That it was better to concentrate the limited funds available on black primary education where more students could be helped
• What judgement was made in Cummings?

  Supreme Court unanimously rejected a 14th Amendment challenge as promoting 'separate and unequal' due to the justices saying that 'inequality was reasonable under the cirumstances'
• What did the Supreme Court approve in Cummings

  Segregated support and also gave federal support to the Jim Crow laws
• What did Cummings prove to the South?

  They could ignore reconstruction civil rights laws and constitutional amendments
• How many cases were reviewed in the 1883 civil rights cases?

  5
• What facilities were challenged in the 1883 civil rights cases?


  Transport companies, hotels and theatres
• What did the Supreme Court rule after the 1883 cases?

  That freed slaves were no longer to be 'a special favourite of the laws'
• What did the 1883 Supreme Court decision do?

  Undermined the CRA of 1875 and opened up social segregation
• What did the Supreme Court argue?

  Federal government intervention over racial discrimination on the part of private individuals or organisations, were unconstitutional
• Why did the Slaughterhouse cases occur?

  Louisiana gave a monopoly on slaughter business to a single company causing other slaughterhouses to file a lawsuit against the state
• How do the Slaughterhouse cases link to Civil Rights?

  It was said to have harmed the privileges, rights and property of the companies which essentially tested the 14th Amendment
• What was the result of the Slaughterhouse cases?

  5v4 majority in favour of the state allowing it to do what it wishes
• How did the Slaughterhouse cases affect black American civil rights?

  It weakened the power of the 14th Amendment to protect black Americans in the future
• What did the Slaughterhouse case give states the power to do?

  To pass laws and have jurisdiction over the citizens in their state where property and business rights of businessmen were concerned
• What is an example of an 1883 Civil Rights Case?

  Robinson v Railroad Company
• What happened in Robinson v Railroad Company?

  A husband and wife sued the railroad as the dark-skinned woman was refused access to the woman-only carriage.
• Why were the couple discriminated against in Robinson v Railroad Company?

  The husband was light-skinned and so it was seen as improper relations and the wife was forced to sit in the mixed black carriage