The Case Plessy Vs. Ferguson and Significance of 'Growing Black in the South' by Howell Raines

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The document “Growing Up Black in the South: A Remembrance, 1977” is a source from My Soul Is Rested which was written by Howell Raines who was born on February 5, 1943, in Birmingham, Alabama, is an American journalist, editor, and writer. My Soul Is Rested is a book that contains oral history regarding about American Civil Rights Movement, which includes interviews with people who struggled with racial segregation in the South. “Growing Up Black in the South: A Remembrance, 1977 was written during a “separate but equal” time, and it describes and provides evidence of how blacks were treated compared to whites from a blacks point of view.

America passed the 14th amendment on July 28, 1868, during the Radical Reconstruction, granting citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States”. Slaves who were freed after the Civil War were granted citizenship and guaranteed “equal protection of laws”. However, how blacks were treated did not differ much from the past. Facilities and services white enjoyed were introduced to blacks, but those weren’t shared. Whites and blacks had separate water fountains, buses, railroad cars, schools, and much more. The case Plessy vs. Ferguson was about Plessy who was ⅛ black purchasing a railroad car ticket for the white to Louisiana announcing that he was black but refusing to move to the car for blacks. As a result, he got arrested for violating the Separate Car Act. Plessy filed a petition against Judge Ferguson claiming the act violated the 14th amendment; however, the Supreme Court ruled that having separate accommodations is not violating the 14th amendment because the 14th amendment protects legal equality, not social equality. This case established a “separate but equal” doctrine and legalized segregation and discrimination against black. Crisis in Little Rock explains how black students were discriminated against and treated badly when they were introduced to an all-white school as a step toward desegregation.

Content:

“Separate but equal” doctrine allowed whites to treat blacks harshly as it was during slavery time, and segregation and discrimination were prevalent. In Georgia, black farmers couldn’t plant tobacco because having tobacco plantations allowed farmers to earn a lot of money. “White people concoct debts as you get in jail, the sheriff would let you out, and the white men tell the sheriff to tell he paid a hundred dollars for you, but you don’t need to worry as long as you stay in his farm and work.” Blacks could not plant what they wanted to, if blacks who worked for white men run away, white men would come to get them and take them back to work as it was during slavery time. Even though blacks worked hard, they could not earn high job options, they either died in poverty or just as middle-class men. “Blacks born and worked on the Wonnie Miller farm died in poverty, and they worked like slaves. Mr. Wonnie never really worked, and died a millionaire.” Blacks were the ones who worked and flourished the plantation, but all the rewards were given to the white. Blacks who worked hard on the plantation were never able to become rich; however, whites who never really worked but owned plantations easily became rich for generations. “ I had more publication than all the white guys put together…and I thought sure they’d make me the assistant chief because I thought they had accepted me as a scientist. And they gave the job to a white girl who knew very little chemistry.” Even though blacks try harder than whites, highly educated jobs were never given to blacks, and blacks were segregated from the white world. “ I and my two sons walked into this drugstore, it had a long lunch counter and these white kids were sittin’ on these stools, spinnin’ around, eatin’ hot dogs and drinkin’ Co-cola. My boys started askin’ me, “Daddy, let’s get a sandwich and a Coke.” I said, “Naw, you cain’t have a Coke and sandwich.” One of ‘’them started cryin’. And I said, “ Well, you know I’m gonna take you back home and Moma’ll fix you a hot dog and give you Coke”, and made a promise that I’d bring ’em back someday.” He could not say the truth about why they can’t get sandwiches and coke to eat sitting down on the stools because he did not want his kids to feel the segregation since they were young. However, there were hopeful signs of desegregation in the Crisis of Little Rock. US Supreme Court believed that segregation was unconditional, supporting desegregation, Eisenhower introduced nine black kids to an all-white school and helped nine black students to attend Arkansas Central High School with the protection of the federal troops. At first, kids were getting bullied, shout out, and white mobs were protesting outside the school, as time passed, white kids offered a black kid who was sitting alone in the cafeteria to join them. He should have bought a sandwich and coke for his children and joined seats with the white kids because white kids might have been supporting desegregation and have been friendly. If you are scared and never try something new, you will never know the outcome.

Significance:

The significance of Growing Black in the South is that it shows how hard the country worked to recognize rights and give protection for blacks during Radical Reconstruction with the 14th amendment, but the country got reversed by Plessy vs. Ferguson because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that 14th amendment was to protect the blacks for legal equality, not for social rights, and that increased cruelty of how whites treated the blacks. Jim Crow law was created after Plessy v. Ferguson legalizing segregation and discrimination against blacks, blacks were given separate facilities and services from whites. This document shows how blacks struggled during the Civil Rights Movement and tells even though blacks work harder than whites to earn money or to gain educated jobs, they were never rewarded the same but less than the whites. Living in America required blacks way more effort than whites. NAACP claimed that racially segregated schools were unconstitutional which led to the U.S. Supreme Court outlawing the governments to impose segregation in public schools introducing Little Rock Nine to Arkansas Central High School, Martin Luther King leading Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks got arrested for refusing to give up her seat to the white led to the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that public transportation segregation was unconstitutional and illegal. Blacks were Americans by citizenship but were never viewed equally as White Americans socially during “separate but equal” time. It shows how hard blacks fought to gain equal meaning of Americans as whites and to have racial equality. This document describes the steps of how blacks fought for desegregation as Americans.

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The Case Plessy Vs. Ferguson and Significance of ‘Growing Black in the South’ by Howell Raines

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