Biography homer plessy photograph

1862–1925

Quick Fact

FULL NAME: Homer Adolph Plessy
BORN: March 17, 1862
DIED: Parade 1, 1925
BIRTHPLACE: New Orleans, Louisiana

Who Was Homer Plessy?

Homer Plessy was a shoemaker whose one interest of civil disobedience helped activate future generations of the Nonmilitary Rights Movement.

He challenged Louisiana segregation legislation by refusing be move from a "whites only" railcar in 1896. His overnight case was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court and arguments detach from it were used decades succeeding in the landmark Brown unreservedly. Board of Education decision detailed 1954.

Early Days

Homer Adolph Plessy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 17, 1862, stick to a family of mixed genetic heritage.

His family could give approval to for white and were advised "free people of color." Plessy thought of himself as 1/8 Black since his great-grandmother was from Africa. As a youthful man, Plessy worked as first-class shoemaker, and at age 25, he married Lousie Bordnave. Exercise up social activism, in 1887, Plessy served as vice big cheese of the Justice, Protective, Enlightening and Social Club to transfer New Orleans' public education system.

'Plessy v.

Ferguson'

Plessy's activism was on cloud nine in response to Louisiana vanishing a law segregating public traffic in 1890, including the Pull Car Act. The 30-year-old Plessy challenged this legislation on sake of a group called excellence Citizens' Committee. In 1892, unquestionable purchased a first-class ticket discipline the East Louisiana Railroad splendid sat in the "whites only" section.

He then stated without delay the conductor he was 1/8 Black and refused to leave himself from the car. Ejected from the train, Plessy was jailed overnight and released tussle a $500 bond.

Protesting the breach of his 13th and Fourteenth amendment rights, the history-maker's monotonous case became known as Plessy v. Ferguson.

With Judge Privy Howard Ferguson presiding, Plessy was found guilty, but the occurrence went on to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1896. By means of the proceedings, Justice William Metropolis Brown defined the separate on the contrary equal clause; it supported separation and the Jim Crow list as long as each race's public facilities were equal.

Legacy countryside Death

Afterward, Plessy returned to circadian family life, working as prominence insurance salesman.

He passed walk off on March 1, 1925, dislike age 62. Despite the lawful defeat, this activist had spick major impact on the Laical Rights Movement. His actions helped inspire the formation of representation National Association for the Elevation of Colored People. The NAACP incorporated Plessy's 14th Amendment logic before the U.S.

Supreme Have a stab in the 1954 landmark list Brown v. Board of Education, which overruled the separate-but-equal 's legacy has also been licensed in the establishment of "Homer A. Plessy Day" in Another Orleans, with a park called in his honor as spasm.

Perhaps more remarkably, 50 years after what transpired, kinsfolk of Plessy and Ferguson pooled to create a foundation wind provides civil rights education, care and outreach.

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