Jim+Crow+Life


 * To set the stage for the civil rights movement, you must first understand the environment of segregation in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. What was life like in Jim Crow America? Cut and paste this information into a new page in your Unit 8 Online ISN. You (and your partner, if you have one) are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in America. Using the links provided in this activity, respond to the “oral history questions” in first person.**

**Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean?** [|14th LINK] After the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted to the Constitution to guarantee African American rights. The Fourteenth Amendment was one of the three amendments that focused on African Americans. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed African American men the right to vote. The 14th Amendment protected the civil liberties of recently freed slaves and granted citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. and prohibited states from denying the privileges of citizens of the U.S., depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Due process of law basically means that the government must use fair procedures to gather information and make decisions in order to protect the rights of individuals and the interests of society. Equal protection of law means that states must apply the law equally and cannot give preference to one person or class of persons over another.

**Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case?** [|Plessy LINK] I remember the date al-right, it was June 7, 1892. Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in the “White” car of the East Louisiana Railroad. He was a Creole of Color, this means that Mr. Plessy could have easily pass for being white though in the Louisiana law, he was considered black. This term was used for people like him because the black people who lived in New Orleans had traces of ancestry from the French, the Spanish, and the Caribbean settlers. The main reason why this would happen is because sometimes a black civil rights organization would decide to challenge the law in courts. So, Plessy deliberately sat in the white section and was arrested. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court where Plessy lawyer argued that the Separate Car act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. There were many arguments between the Justices regarding this case. “The Plessy decision set the precedent that separate facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were equal. The doctrine was quickly extended to cover many areas of public life, such as restaurants, theaters, restrooms, and public schools. The facilities for blacks were always inferior to those for whites.

**The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow? Did he write the laws? [| Jim Crow LINK] ** Jim Crow was an exaggerated, highly stereotypical Black character, who developed from the song, "Jim Crow," by Thomas Dartmouth Rice. It is a name that is often used to describe the segregation laws, rules, and customs, which arose after Reconstruction ended. By 1838, the term "Jim Crow" was being used as a collective racial epithet for Blacks and it soon became a racial slur. Rice often performed plays where he darkened his skin to look like a Negro person. He was often regarded as Jim Crow. By the end of the 19th century, the name “Jim Crow” was being used to describe laws and customs, which oppressed Blacks. This term also led to the belief that Blacks were lazy, stupid, inherently less human, and unworthy of integration.

**What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you?** [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 1] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 2] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 3] In Florida there was a law about education, which said “White and Colored children shall not be taught in the same school, but impartial provision shall be made for both.” In North Carolina, a law stated that “The state librarian is directed to fit up and maintain a separate place for the use of the colored people who may come to the library for the purpose of reading books or periodicals.” These laws stopped me from going to school and the library. My education is being taken away and I can’t do anything about it. Other laws state that there would be other hospital for mentally ill Negroes and the jailers will provide bathing facilities separate for Negroes and whites. Also, there were laws that prohibited a Negro from marrying a white. If a white and Negro married, they would be fined the maximum of $1000 and imprisonment of the maximum of 12 months. . So, in every way they can, we are being separated from whites and being taken other places, while whites get special privileges. Our rights are gradually being taken away from us. It’s like we committed a huge crime for being Black.

**What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?** Jim Crow Images LINK 1 / [|Jim Crow Images LINK 2] Jim Crow would, of course, have a blackened face. Jim Crow could be an African American being removed from a Philadelphia Railway car or a Negro having to bear the agony of lynching. He could be a Black kid being kicked out of a white school or children of segregation at a school water pump. Those are some examples of images that explain the realities of time.

**What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK] In the Scottsboro Case, nine black youths(Scottsboro Boys) were falsely charged with raping two white women in Alabama. This case showed the atrocious treatment of blacks. It all began on March 25, 1931, when many white and black youths were riding on a train, in search of work. A fight broke out between the black and white hobos, in which the whites were thrown off the train. The white hobos reported this incident to the stationmaster, who ordered the train to stop at a place called Paint Rock. Many black men were taken to jail and were about to be charged with assault, when two white women, dressed in boys clothing, were discovered hiding on the train. Although there was no evidence connecting the youth to the women, the nine youths were charged with raping the women. The nine blacks were sentenced to death. This was not at all fair. The Supreme Court had no evidence. Our rights are being taken away from us. They took away our Freedom of Speech. We are enraged!!!

**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** [|Audio History LINK 1]

It wasn’t working for me!

One person’s uncle died because the white doctor did not arrive after more than eight hours after the accident.

Another person’s father worked real hard so he could send his son to school, but one white man took stole all his money.