In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld racial segregation in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. It stated,
"We cannot say that a law which requires the separation of two races is unreasonable. We consider the [error] of [Plessy's] argument to consist in the assumption that the enforced separation of the two races stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority." This is when the term "separate but equal" became a justifiable defense for segregating races in public places. As long as access was not being denied, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate" was okay. |