What is significant about the year 1896 in the context of U.S. history?

• A. It was the year of the Emancipation Proclamation.
• B. It was the year of the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.
• C. It was the year World War I began.
• D. It was the year of the first African American college established.

Answer: (B)

The year 1896 is particularly significant in U.S. history due to the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. This landmark Supreme Court decision upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The case arose from a challenge to Louisiana's segregation laws when Homer Plessy, who was of mixed race, was arrested for sitting in a whites-only railway car. The ruling effectively legalized segregation in public facilities for many years and laid the foundation for systemic discrimination, impacting African Americans and other minority groups deeply. The ramifications of this decision were felt across various aspects of life in the United States and persisted until the civil rights movement of the 1960s, making 1896 a crucial year in the history of civil rights and social justice in the nation.