Question

question 15 of 20

in 1883, the u.s. supreme courts ruling in ______ stated that laws criminalizing marriage between black people and white people were constitutional.

a. united states v. stanley
b. united states v. nichols
c. plessy v. ferguson
d. pace v. alabama

Explanation:

Identify the core legal question

The question asks for a 1883 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared laws criminalizing marriage between Black people and white people (anti-miscegenation laws) to be constitutional.

Evaluate the options

• United States v. Stanley and United States v. Nichols (1883) were part of the Civil Rights Cases, which ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional because the Fourteenth Amendment did not authorize Congress to ban private racial discrimination.
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established the "separate but equal" doctrine regarding public accommodations and transit.
• Pace v. Alabama (1883) was a landmark Supreme Court case that unanimously ruled Alabama's anti-miscegenation statute did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, arguing that both white and Black partners were punished equally for the offense.

Select the correct case

The case that matches the 1883 date and the specific ruling on interracial marriage is Pace v. Alabama.

Answer:

• (A) United States v. Stanley
• (B) United States v. Nichols
• (C) Plessy v. Ferguson
• (D) Pace v. Alabama (Correct answer)