Collection:LPB

Genre: Documentary

Place Covered: Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 2003-09-16

Duration: 00:04:11

Subjects: Segregation | Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) | Plessy, Homer Adolph | United States. Supreme Court | VOTING RIGHTS

Contributors:

• Laudun, Tika Producer
• Whitfield, Lynn Narrator
• Sullivan, Lester Interviewee
• Ortique, Revius Interviewee
• Haas, Edward Interviewee

This excerpt from the series “Louisiana: A History” features a look back at the landmark 1896 United States Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld segregationist laws through the doctrine of “separate but equal.” The case originated in Louisiana when New Orleans native Homer Plessy challenged the state’s “Separate Car Act” by refusing to give up his seat in a train car designated for white passengers. This clip also looks at the subsequent passage of disenfranchisement laws, which made it virtually impossible for blacks to qualify for voter registration. Narrator: Lynn Whitfield