<P> One month after his arrest, Plessy appeared in court before Judge John Howard Ferguson . Plessy's lawyer, Albion Tourgee, claimed Plessy's 13th and 14th amendment rights were violated . The 13th amendment abolished slavery, and the 14th amendment granted equal protection to all under the law . </P> <P> The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson established the phrase "separate but equal". The ruling "(required) railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in that State to provide equal, but separate, accommodations for the white and colored races ...". Accommodations provided on each railroad car were required to be the same as those provided on the others . Separate railroad cars could be provided . The railroad could refuse service to passengers who refused to comply, and the Supreme Court ruled this did not infringe upon the 13th and 14th amendments . </P> <P> The "separate but equal" doctrine applied to railroad cars and to schools, voting rights, and drinking fountains . Segregated schools were created for students, as long as they followed "separate but equal". The majority of all black schools received old textbooks, used equipment, and poorly prepared or trained teachers . A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that black students were emotionally impaired when segregated at a young age . State voting right restrictions, such as literacy tests and poll taxes created an environment that made it almost impossible for blacks to vote . This era also saw separate drinking fountains in public areas . </P> <P> The "Separate but Equal" doctrine was eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 . But African Americans were still not equal; poorer services and restrictions on voting rights still limited them throughout the United States, and they still were not granted more political and social power than before . </P>

Where did the phrase separation of church and state come from answers.com