Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents

by Brook Thomas (Editor)

Using the full text of the Court's opinion, along with a selection of responses to the actual ruling, Plessy v. Ferguson, the book, provides context to help you re-create the complicated debates and conditions in which the decision occured.

Genres: History, Political Science, Nonfiction, Law

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1996

Reviews

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains an extensive amount of research regarding the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Brook Thomas lays out a solid picture of the politics regarding race at the time. He also does not overlook (however briefly mentioned) the connections of American white-supremacy and Nazism. The most intriguing of writings was from the Confederate soldier, turned politician, John Tyler Morgan and the highly esteemed intellectual W. E. B. Du Bois, who needs no introduction. Morgan's regurgitates many of the racist beliefs of the time: the "noble savage," mental inferiority of Blacks, the superiority of Black physicality, the end of slavery furthering class stratification, fear of White genocide, and the idea of comingling. Many of these beliefs are present today in America, and around the world. It is only through understanding the past that we can begin to dismantle and eradicate these beliefs in the present. The book does a great job of reminding us of that fact without explicitly mentioning it. Du Bois' excerpt was a masterful discussion on internalized racism within the Black community. The way Du Bois writes lulls any reader into a sense of mesmerizing wonder. It is akin to listening to the classical works of the American cellist Yo-Yo Ma, only read on a page. Overall, Brook Thomas did an excellent service to any and all academics coming across this case in their studies.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to read the decision and dissenting argument, but what I was most floored (and appalled) by were the essays by prominent people at the time on the subject of segregation of the races. Hoffman employs scientific racism, which he calls statistics, to "prove" that mulattos have smaller craniums and are more susceptible to smallpox and syphilis. And Fields is just terribly disappointed that former slaves have not used their given freedom to achieve more than whites in 30 years. The Booker T. Washington Atlanta Compromise speech ("Cast your buckets down where they are"ea) is both hard to bear for its acquiescent tone and kind of amazing to ponder for its tenacious practicality. And the WEB DeBois (early chapter of The Souls of Black Folk) is heartbreakingy precise. Must read that book next!

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brook Thomas is hands down the best current Humanities Core Course lecturer at UC Irvine. I remember going to his very first lecture, thinking that I would take a few notes but not a lot because I was distracted. But once he started speaking, I realized that he was an incredible writer and lecturer, and I couldn't miss out on this great first lecture! I dropped whatever I had been doing and started taking furious notes--he talks very fast, but it was impressive because he was using old school slides and it worked. He was persuasive and gave several sides to an argument which impressed me. Much of the content from his book was represented through his speech and notes. He did NOT just read off his slides like some professors do! He makes you want to go to lecture. I enjoyed all of his lectures on Plessy and even got to meet him in person. I hope to go back and sit in on one of his lectures! It was neat, too, because he gave some advice to one of my friends on her research paper. His energy is contagious and he was the best history professor I've met. He makes kids think, which is fantastic!! Go to one of his lectures. :)

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informative text about the Plessy vs Ferguson case. I had to read this for a Law, Society, and Literature class. It has a lot of really interesting texts about other people's thoughts on the case and essays and speeches that just happened around the time of the case. If you want to learn more about the Plessy vs Ferguson case, pick this book up and give it a read. It's pretty interesting to see what was going on in the minds of the people at this time.

[TKTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all hear about Plessy v. Ferguson in our history classes throughout high school. But to read through the legal, historical, and cultural contexts of this case is phenomenal, especially in light of all the political debates today on immigration, the rhetoric of "change" in the presidential nomination process, and continued debates on race, multiculturalism, and identity.