Race Relations and the U.S. Supreme Court

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the use of the U.S. Supreme Court by Blacks, Chinese and others to end discrimination, segregation and disenfranchisement by initiating and challenging regional legal decisions. The paper describes important U.S. Supreme court cases of this period: Roberts vs. the City of Boston ("separate but equal" doctrine), Ho Ah Kow vs. Nunan (discrimination against Chinese), Plessy vs. Ferguson (state's rights to enact its own laws) and Buchanan vs. Warley ( states cannot officially segregate African Americans into residential districts).

From the Paper:

"For example, the Chinese, who comprised a critical element in building the fortunes of the West, were denied many of the rights whites freely enjoyed. The Chinese persevered in this hostile climate and succeeded in broadening the definition of "American." The Chinese achieved Constitutional rights and led the way for other immigrant groups yet to come. In Ho ah Kow vs. Nunan, Ho Ah Kow sued a San Francisco sheriff who followed a racially-motivated law that decreed all prisoners have their hair cut at the uniform length of one inch long upon entering jail."

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