What is the argument for Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upholding segregation for more than half a century? It upheld the legality of black codes. It classified African Americans as an inferior race. It permitted separation of races if facilities were equal. It allowed for the continuation of slavery after the Civil War.

Plessy v. Ferguson permitted separation of races if facilities were equal.

Explanation:

Plessy v. Ferguson was a decision of the Supreme Court legally formalizing racial segregation and confirming its compliance with the American constitution.  

In 1892, Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 black, sat on a train in a white carriage. Under the laws of Louisiana, he was arrested. Plessy went to court, believing that state authorities violated the Constitution, which should guarantee the equality of citizens before the law. Plessy appealed to the Supreme Court, which in 1896 ruled that dividing citizens into blacks and whites did not violate the Constitution.

This decision reinforced the phenomenon of racial segregation in the United States. Several states have passed laws that establish segregation in schools, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, transportation, and toilets. There were two Bibles in the courts, one of which was intended to take the oath of allegiance to blacks.