Language
Country/Area
No result found
What does “Separate but Equal” mean? How was this unequal law established in 1896?
The term “Separate but Equal” can be traced back to an 1896 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Plessy v. Ferguson. In this case, the court affirmed the concept of "separate but equal," which became the legal basis for racial segregation in American law. On the one hand, it ensured segregation between different races in the name of law; on the other hand, it institutionalized discrimination against African Americans and deprived them of many basic rights.
The case paved the way for the next 58 years of racial segregation and became the cornerstone of the Jim Crow legal system.
Jim Crow laws were racial segregation policies introduced by Southern states in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most of which emerged after the end of the Civil War in 1865 and were gradually formed against the backdrop of difficult reconstruction. These laws were designed to re-establish white authority and to strip newly freed African Americans of their economic and political power. These laws restructured society to relegate African Americans to the bottom of society and entrenched the legalization of separation and discrimination.
Although "equality" was nominally placed in policies, in reality the living conditions of African Americans were extremely poor. Various public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and transportation systems always have serious deficiencies in services and resources for African Americans, and often have difficulty maintaining basic operations due to lack of funding. Despite being nominally "equal," African Americans were actually pushed to the margins of society.
Jim Crow laws institutionalized economic, educational, political, and social inequality, relegating most African Americans to the status of second-class citizens.
Over the next few decades, as discontent grew across the country, organizations like the NAACP began movements to resist Jim Crow laws. They have launched a series of public protests and legislative actions to challenge this unjust legal and social oppression. In 1954, the Supreme Court ended racial segregation in public schools in Brown v. Board of Education, a decision that marked the beginning of the Jim Crow legal system.
However, even amid these changes, there remains considerable resistance in law and practice in the Global South. The process of repealing the laws was slow and difficult in many states, and it was not until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that Jim Crow laws were finally overturned on a large scale.
Even so, the roots of these laws and their far-reaching effects remain in the fabric of American society.
Many scholars believe that the interpretation of “Separate but Equal” is a reflection of the law and society’s neglect of human rights. In many Southern cities, racial segregation existed not only in public transportation and education systems but also extended to every aspect of daily life. Whether it was accommodation, recreational facilities or parks, whites and African Americans were forced to live in two completely different worlds.
The idea of “Separate but Equal” obscured the fundamental inequality behind the law and excluded African Americans from political, economic, and social life, contributing to widespread dissatisfaction with institutional injustice. As history progressed, this far-reaching movement was eventually unleashed in the tide of the civil rights movement, pushing the United States forward on the path of racial equality.
Now, looking back at the background and impact of “Separate but Equal”, can we still recognize where similar social inequalities are hidden?
