Homer Plessy was a 30-year-old shoemaker of mixed race, who intentionally violated Louisiana's Separate Car Act by sitting in the 'whites-only' section of a train on June 7, 1892. This act was a calculated move to challenge the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in the southern United States. Plessy, represented by a group of civil rights activists, was arrested after refusing to leave his seat when asked by the train conductor. His case was grounded on the belief that segregation violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which address citizenship rights and equal protection under the law.

Following Plessy's arrest, the case was brought to court, and in 1896, the Supreme Court ruled against him in Plessy v. Ferguson. The landmark decision held that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities for the races were equal, which established the doctrine of 'separate but equal.' This ruling provided legal justification for segregation and discrimination, effectively upholding Jim Crow laws across the South and legitimizing systemic racial discrimination for decades.

The case gained notoriety and became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, highlighting the ongoing struggle against enforced racial separation. Although the ruling was a setback for Plessy and other activists, it galvanized efforts to dismantle segregation and inspired subsequent legal challenges and civil rights campaigns aimed at achieving equality.