The arrest of Homer Plessy stemmed from his deliberate violation of Louisiana’s Separate Car Act of 1890. This law mandated racial segregation on railway cars, requiring separate accommodations for white and Black passengers. Plessy, who was of mixed race (seven-eighths white and one-eighth Black), purchased a first-class ticket and sat in the “whites only” car. He identified himself as Black and refused to move when asked, leading to his immediate arrest.
This action was not a spontaneous act of defiance but a carefully planned challenge to the constitutionality of segregation laws. A citizens’ group, the Comit des Citoyens (Committee of Citizens), orchestrated the event to bring the issue before the courts. They believed the Separate Car Act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed equal protection under the law. The case was significant because it provided a legal avenue to contest the growing trend of segregation across the South in the late 19th century.
