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] The 14th amendment gave former slaves freedom. Due process gives black men the right to a fair trial by a jury. Equal protection of laws means no state can deny anyone life, liberty, or property.

**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 that Plessy was accused of sitting on the White car even though. Plessy was an African-American. Plessy is white, but he was forced to sit in the Colored car. Plessy wanted to bring this to court so he got arrested on purpose by sitting in the white section and identifying himself as black when Louisianna passed the Separate Cars Act. The case went to the Supreme Court. Plessy argued that the act violated the 13th and 14th amendments. The court decided that is wasnt't unconstitutional for there to be separate facilities for blacks and whites as long as they were equal.

**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 actor who portrayed a stereotypical black person. Jim Crow was now used as an insult toward black people. Jim Crow did not write the laws. They were called the Jim Crow laws because of the racial slur that Jim Crow represented.

White and black people are not able to play card games together. White people and any one that is atleast 1/6 of another race are not allowed to be married. There will be separate schools for African- Americans and people of white descent. There will be separate quarters on trains for blacks and whites.
 * 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 the 1900's, Jim Crow America was full of racism and hate towards African-Americans. Lynching was very common and you would see signs separating white and black facilities.
 * 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]

The Scottsboro was a case in which 9 black youths were falsely accused of raping two white women. The black youths were hobos on a freight train with other white hobos. All were looking for work. A fight broke out between the groups and all the white hobos were thrown off the train. The white hobos informed the stationmaster and the train was stopped. Armed men arrested the black hobos. Originally, the youths were going to be accused of assault. But two white women, dressed as men, were found hiding on the train. There was no evidence that the black hobos had done anything to the women but they were charged with rape. All but the youngest, were sentenced to death. It would make me feel helpless because anything I did, would be easier to be made a crime than if a white person had done it.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]

**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** [|Audio History LINK 1] My friends and family are all horrified at what the Jim Crow laws represent in history. It was not a good era for the U.S. In Jim Crow America, all the odds were stacked against black people. Most white people just stayed away from people of African descent and minded their own business, but some spoke out their beliefs on African-Americans and became violent. One very prominent group, the Ku Klux Klan, spread across the South. The KKK wore white sheets and white, pointed hats. The KKK attacked black peoples' houses, hurt them, and in some cases, lynched them.