Legalized state segregation

1994
united states

Legalized state segregation refers to the period in United States history when laws and policies allowed for the segregation and discrimination against people based on their race. This practice was most prevalent in the South, where laws known as Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in public facilities, schools, transportation, and other areas of daily life. The Supreme Court's decision in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 upheld the legality of segregation, stating that "separate but equal" facilities were constitutional.

This legalized segregation persisted until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when activists and leaders fought against racial discrimination and inequality. The landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 struck down segregation in public schools, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations.

Today, legalized state segregation is universally condemned as a dark chapter in American history that violated the principles of equality and justice. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the importance of fighting against discrimination in all its forms.

Further reading

Brown F. (1994) "Brown and the politics of equality", The Urban Review, 26(4), pp. 227-242. Kluwer Academic Publishers-Human Sciences Press. DOI: 10.1007/BF02354370