---
title: "Plessy v. Ferguson — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation in the U.S. under 'separate but equal,' influencing civil rights and Jim Crow laws."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/plessy-v-ferguson"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Plessy v.
- Ferguson (1896) was the U.
- What doctrine did Plessy v. Ferguson establish?
- Which constitutional provision was central to the case?
- What case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In 1892, Homer Plessy boarded a whites-only railroad car in Louisiana to challenge the Separate Car Act, producing the 1896 Supreme Court ruling that entrenched segregation for nearly sixty years.

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