Read the quotation from Justice John Marshall Harlan in his Plessy v. Ferguson dissent in 1896. “Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.” The views Harlan expressed in this quotation were
Answer
A
similar to the views of the other justices, who ruled against Homer Plessy.
B
used to justify the “separate but equal” doctrine and continued segregation.
C
later adopted by the Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
D
immediately adopted by southern states to justify the end of Jim Crow laws.
Explanation
Harlan argued that the Constitution should treat citizens equally regardless of race, rejecting racial segregation. The Supreme Court later adopted this principle in Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The other justices in Plessy upheld segregation, so choice A is incorrect.
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