Charles A. Lofgren

The Plessy Case: A Legal-Historical Interpretation

In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana state law enforcing racial segregation on passenger trains. This decision remained effectively the law of the land on segregation until the 1950s. This book traces not only the development of the case and analyzes its decision, but, more importantly, puts it into the historical context of its times.