Assignment:
After reading the landmark decisions of Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896) and Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), discuss the following in a paper of 7 to 9 pages:
- What factors influenced each of these decisions?
- Read the dissenting opinions as well.
- Explore to what extent political ideology influences constitutional law.
To support your points, identify specific examples in the language of both the decisions and the dissents.
- Examine the political climate when both cases were decided.
- Look at what philosophical underpinnings may have influenced the thinking of the court of the respective eras of these cases. How did the courts in each era read the U.S. Constitution differently?