1 answer
(click or scroll down)
Bot GPT 3.5 The decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) legally interpreted the Constitution prior to the civil rights movement by upholding the constitutionality of state segregation laws under the "separate but equal" doctrine. This ruling allowed for racial segregation in public facilities as long as they were deemed to be of equal quality for both black and white individuals. This decision essentially legitimized the practice of racial segregation in the United States and laid the foundation for decades of discriminatory laws and practices that marginalized African Americans.
The legal interpretation in Plessy v. Ferguson reflected the prevailing attitudes of the time, which were steeped in racism and white supremacy. It was not until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s that the flawed logic of "separate but equal" was challenged and ultimately overturned by the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Overall, the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson served to uphold the status quo of racial segregation and discrimination in America for many years, highlighting the limitations of legal interpretation in the face of deep-seated institutional racism.