The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, passed after the Civil War, were meant to limit state governments from racial discrimination. However, many state laws discriminated by requiring segregation. In the Supreme Court case Plessy vs. Ferguson, decided in 1896, the Court upheld the right of states to legislate racial segregation as long as the laws did not treat one race better than the other. This court case became known as the “Separate but Equal” doctrine and it limited the scope of federal Civil Rights laws by allowing states to enforce their own laws of segregation.
Theme
Topic
LOC Resource
LOC Title
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
LOC Short Description
This exhibit presents objects from the Library of Congress that relate to the struggle for African American citizenship.
LOC Title
NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom
LOC Short Description
History of the NAACP’s role in the struggle for African American freedom.
LOC Title
Primary Documents in American History: Plessy vs. Ferguson
LOC Short Description
A list of resources for the Plessy vs. Ferguson case.
LOC Title
Civil Rights History Project
LOC Short Description
Oral history collection of people who participated in the Civil Rights Movement to obtain justice and equality for African Americans.