Plessy V. Ferguson: 14th Amendment Argument 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Honor, I stand before the court today to cement the plaintiff's argument that the Separate Car Law is deeply unconstitutional. I stand here to showcase that the law, plain and simple, says thusly.

I will begin with the reminder that our Declaration of Independence states: "all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". Our country was created and built off of these principles, and we would do well to remember them here today. 

As a nation, we are on the precipice. What this court decides today will determine how we are viewed as a nation both internally and externally. If we ignore the values that our nation was built on, how are we to move forward? How are we to be taken seriously? 

Need I remind you of our new Constitutional amendments? This nation came together to add these amendments to the constitution, meaning that the majority believes in these principles. African Americans have been given citizenship, the right to vote, and most importantly, equal protection under the law. If the court overlooks these rights, our liberty, the very fabric of our democracy, is in grave danger. 

This case specifically cites the 14th Amendment, which states: "No state shall...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws". Equality is not a vague, or ambiguous concept. It is unchangeable, concrete, and absolute. There should be no caveat when it comes to equality. 

Because the state law is worded in such a way that regulates the transportation system solely based on race, it is not only unjust, but un-Constitutional. The Constitution is color-blind, there is no caste system, and no dominant ruling class of citizens. The 14th Amendment was created to ensure that would be the case. 

You would have to be ignorant to overlook that the intent of the state law is to segregate based solely upon race, and doing so is a gross Constitutional breach. One of the most fundamental rights, personal liberty, is under attack. It is a man's right to choose whether or not to occupy the same car as a man of another race, and the government cannot infringe upon that right using race as the sole argument. 

"In respect of Civil Rights", and in respect of the 14th Amendment, "all citizens are equal before the law" regardless of color. We are one common nation and the sooner we as a nation can reach that point, the less aggression, and less brutality there will be. 

If this court rules against Homer Plessy today, it will forever be undermining its authority, and defeating the purpose of putting the 14th amendment in place to begin with. Not only that, but we will lose the ability as a nation to "boast about our freedoms" because we have attacked the most fundamental that our nation was built on: personal freedom and personal liberty.