Racial segregation in the South by the end of the 1890's.
During the Reconstruction African Americans began to enjoy several right's that had been granted to them by the addition of the Thirteenth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment. After the Reconstruction came to an end in 1877, the African's American's hopes for equality were destroyed. The 1880's brought about a push towards racial inequality, and by 1890 whites in both the North and the South were becoming unsupportive of civil rights. By the end of the 1890's the more rigid system of racial segregation emerged with the problems between the Populists and the Democrats in the 1892 election and also with the Supreme Court's decision in the case Plessy v. Ferguson.
Before the election of 1892, the blacks had broken away from the Democrats and followed the evolving Populist Party. During the election though, the Democrats were very deceitful in order to gain back the votes of the black community. They used money, control of those in local power, and their paternalistic relationship with them to achieve this. They ended up gaining a victory in the election because of large number of votes from the blacks. However, many of those who had "voted" were dead already. This brought about many struggles for the Democrats so they decided to disfranchise the blacks to end the struggles. This became a nationwide movement to take away the rights of blacks, which resulted in a literacy test in Mississippi that basically ended the black participation in politics for the state.
In 1890, Louisiana had passed the Separate Car Act that required blacks to ride in separate railroad cars than whites. Many blacks protested against this and some even began to challenge the law. Homer Plessy, who was considered black even though he was seven-eighths white, was one of them. Plessy boarded a train on June 7, 1892 and purposely sat in a car that was reserved for whites. He refused to move and was therefore arrested. Plessy took his case to a local court, stating that this
Before the election of 1892, the blacks had broken away from the Democrats and followed the evolving Populist Party. During the election though, the Democrats were very deceitful in order to gain back the votes of the black community. They used money, control of those in local power, and their paternalistic relationship with them to achieve this. They ended up gaining a victory in the election because of large number of votes from the blacks. However, many of those who had "voted" were dead already. This brought about many struggles for the Democrats so they decided to disfranchise the blacks to end the struggles. This became a nationwide movement to take away the rights of blacks, which resulted in a literacy test in Mississippi that basically ended the black participation in politics for the state.
In 1890, Louisiana had passed the Separate Car Act that required blacks to ride in separate railroad cars than whites. Many blacks protested against this and some even began to challenge the law. Homer Plessy, who was considered black even though he was seven-eighths white, was one of them. Plessy boarded a train on June 7, 1892 and purposely sat in a car that was reserved for whites. He refused to move and was therefore arrested. Plessy took his case to a local court, stating that this