Mock Trial Reaction: Plessy v. Ferguson

The court was filled with individuals listening to the arguments from the defendants and plaintiffs regarding the Plessy v Ferguson case. Both side's arguments were strong and filled with evidence in favor of their side. I thoroughly enjoyed the mock trial as a whole and felt that it ran smoothly. 

Starting with the side in favor of Plessy, they touched on many reasons as to why he shouldn't have been thrown off the train car by police or fined. The religious argument stood out to me. Paige specifically took excerpts from the Bible that each person is made uniquely by God. Therefore, why should white people be held in such high regard while black individuals are treated so poorly, like in this case, Plessy? Also, they took into account how Plessy was only one-eighth African American, meaning he only had one black grandparent in his lineage. Additionally, they brought it to the judge's and jury's attention that segregation is costing our country an immense amount of money due to the fact that they must purchase double of everything. 

However, the opposing side also crafted a strong argument. The economic argument was quite interesting and argued many solid points. Some of these included having a "black wall street" boosts the economy, having integrated businesses that may scare off customers, segregating people makes it easier for businesses to produce products certain groups want, etc. The mention of segregated education systems was also a key point, discussing how it is pointless to have white and black children in the same schools since black kids won't be able to keep up. 

Overall, I enjoyed listening to all the arguments presented. I believe many of my peers did an amazing job at arguing their side in an effective manner. In the end, the judge ruled in favor of Plessy, determining that he should not have to pay the fine.