Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

Share this post

Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Law of the land
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Law of the land

American history, the U.S. Supreme Court, and things that change. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

Bill Murphy Jr.'s avatar
Bill Murphy Jr.
Jun 02, 2020
∙ Paid
4

Share this post

Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Law of the land
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2
Share

I don’t know who else would be marking this, but next week will be the 128th anniversary of the day when a man named Homer Plessy bought a first class ticket for the East Louisiana Railway’s No. 8 train, traveling from New Orleans to Covington, Louisiana.

The South was segregated then, and Plessy took a seat in the “whites only” car. This was technically illegal for him. The law considered him “colored,” because only seven of his eight great-grandparents had been white.

A conductor asked his race, and Plessy replied truthfully. The conductor then ordered him to leave the “whites only” car, and Plessy refused. Then, according to a recently reconstructed account:

“Before he knew it, a private detective, with the help of several passengers, had dragged him off the train, put him in handcuffs and charged him with violating the 1890 Louisiana Separate Car Act, one of many new segregationist laws that were cropping up throughout the post-Reconstruction South.”

If you don’t know this story, he…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr. to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Much Better Media LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More