Question

question: 35
how did the supreme court justify its ruling in the case of plessy v. ferguson?

a. the court argued that the civil rights act of 1875 only applied to private actions, not government actions.

b. the court argued that the equal protection clause in the us constitution only applied to gender discrimination.

c. the court argued that the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments extended political rights to african americans, but not social rights.

d. the court argued that the violence that would result from forcing desegregation on us society would hurt the country as a whole.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The Civil Rights Act of 1875's application to private vs. government actions is not the justification for Plessy v. Ferguson.
• Option B: The Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment) was about race, not just gender, so this is incorrect.
• Option C: In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Court held that the 14th and 15th Amendments gave political rights (like voting) to African Americans but not social rights (like segregation in public facilities), using the "separate but equal" doctrine. This matches the ruling's justification.
• Option D: The Court did not use potential violence as a justification for upholding segregation.

Answer:

C. The court argued that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments extended political rights to African Americans, but not social rights.