Plessy v. Ferguson: "seven eighths Caucasian," and each state decides who is "colored" (US Supreme Court, 1896)

SUMMARYPlessy v. Ferguson: "seven eighths Caucasian," and each state decides who is "colored" (US Supreme Court, 1896) [Connections: Louisiana (deep), Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDThe opinion describes Homer Plessy as "of mixed descent, in the proportion of seven eighths Caucasian and one eighth African blood," and says "the mixture of colored blood was not discernible in him." It cites Louisiana's "Acts 1890, No. 111," requiring "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." It holds that the proportion that makes a person colored varies by state and that these "are questions to be determined under the laws of each State," affirming "the power to determine who, under the laws of the particular State, is to be deemed a white and who a colored person."

PATTERNThe Supreme Court made race a matter of state paperwork, not of what people are. Louisiana could draw the line wherever it liked

LENS (WW9)The highest court admitted it: "colored" is whatever a state says it is. That is a paper race

OPENThe opinion does not mention Indians. Whether Plessy's own family records carry any Native descriptor needs deep research

SOURCEPlessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896) (Justia).