A powerful dissent...
Judge Harlan, a civil war veteran, and supreme court justice, whom was well renowned for his dissenting opinions (See Britannica). In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, he wrote a powerful dissent to the abhorrent decision of the court, which ruled in favor of, "separate but equal".
John Marshall Harlan was a veteran of one of the bloodiest wars in American history, the Civil War. Furthermore, he fought among volunteer Union soldiers with the lofty rank of Colonel among the 10th regiment of Kentucky (See Ballotpedia). Harlan served alongside men whom gave their lives to end slavery, and bring about what we now know as the 14th amendment. I believe it is for this reason, that he is so passionately opposed to the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. This decision cut down the sacrifices made by men and women of all creeds during the Civil War, and by extension kills the dream of a United America. He likely wrote this dissent, not only to display his own distaste for the matter, but to show those across the nation, that there were indeed those in power whom stood against segregation.
Judge Harlan's dissent can only be considered a timeless argument. His notion of, "The destinies of he two races in this country are indissolubly linked together", may have been controversial in the time of Plessy, but stands as a cornerstone to our government today. He was, fortunately, more clairvoyant than he may have expected, as his notion of a America, united despite our differences was coming. In fact, it was through this notion of a shared future, and benefit, that many later decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education was built upon. Not only was segregation an evil which was unstable, it was inevitably going to give way, in favor of shared opportunity.
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