May 18, 2011

What a difference 58 years makes! On this date in 1896, the US Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that “separate but equal” was constitutional. But on yesterday’s date in 1954, the US Supreme Court said “Yeah, not so much,” and told the Board of Education of Kansas to take a running jump. The Board of Education of Kansas refused to take a running jump, saying “Monkeys take running jumps, and humans aren’t monkeys, therefore by the transitive theorem we will take no running jumps.”

Then the US Supreme Court ruled Kansas unconstitutional. 5-4. Split vote. Very close.

Very, very close.