Life+in+Jim+Crow+America


 * 1) **** 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] **


 * The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to African Americans that were once enslaved. Due process of law and equal protection of the laws mean African Americans would get fair trials and are to be treated equally amongst other races. For example, under the 14th Amendment blacks and whites should be given the same punishment for the same crime (this is not always the case). This really helped blacks such as myself gain more rights in society. **


 * 2) 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] **


 * If I can remember correctly, a young man by the name of Homer Plessy sat in a “white” car while on a train. Despite his light complexion, Plessy was considered black and had to sit in the “black” cars. The law creating the segregated cars, the Separate Car Act, was challenged by an organization fighting for civil rights. The verdict in the Supreme Court created a precedent; “separate” facilities for blacks and whites are constitutional if they are “equal.” Pretty ironic considering most, if not all, segregated facilities tended to favor whites over blacks. **


 * 3) 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] **


 * There is no person named Jim Crow. The Jim Crow laws describe the segregation laws, acts, and rules that lasted between late Reconstruction and the 1960s. Thomas Rice once wrote a song labeled “Jim Crow.” Rice then donned black makeup and acted out a skit about the song; the main character was a stereotypical black man. As Rice’s success grew, so did the words “Jim Crow.” Eventually it became another racial slur, like coon or blackie. Then, as the years passed it started to describe the segregated laws against African Americans. **


 * 4) 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 my opinion these Jim Crow laws are ridiculous. For example, one Nebraska law prohibits marriages between a white (wo)man and an African American. Another law prohibits a black man from shaking hands with a white man (this would make us look “socially equal”). Touching a white woman is even worse; I could be charged for rape! Other ludicrous laws included segregated schools and blacks having to sit on the back of buses. **


 * 5) 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] **






 * 6) 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 African American boys were wrongly accused and prosecuted for raping two white women. While on a train, a group of white hobos and a group of black hobos were fighting. After the white hobos were thrown out the train, they contacted the stationmaster. The stationmaster promptly stopped the train and the boys were sent to jail on charges of assault. Two women who were also on the train had relations with the white group of men. To avoid trouble, they said the black boys raped them. This angers me beyond belief that such an event could happen in this supposed “country of democracy.” I guarantee if two black women accused nine //white// boys of rape the court would have found them innocent. I could go on a tirade as an apoplectic African American, but I shall not. I will only say this; one day this nation will finally fulfill the first words of the Constitution, “We the people.” At this time, it is only “We the white men.” **


 * 7) Why should anyone care about your life during Jim Crow America? ** **[|Why should I care? Link] **


 * This era is not simply “Colored” and “Whites Only”; it is impossible to tell you what life was actually like during Jim Crow. One must realize that almost every action a black male (like myself) did was an infringement of a law. Moreover, we were subject to harassment, discrimination, and sometimes murder. Most importantly, the United States //ignored// these problems until the late 1950s/early 60s. Most importantly, it was during the Jim Crow era when civil right activists such as Malcolm X and MLK became involved. Without their contributions, who knows what modern-day America would be like in terms of social equality? **