Plessy versus Ferguson

Cultural

A case decided by the Supreme Court in the 1890s. The Court held that a state could require racial segregation in public facilities if the facilities offered the two races were equal. The Court's requirement became known as the “separate but equal” doctrine. It was overturned by the Court in 1954 in Brown versus Board of Education.

Example Sentences

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“I told her, ‘It’s no longer Plessy versus Ferguson; it’s now Plessy and Ferguson.

From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023