AP+P2+Jim+Crow+Laws

Aim: Tim Wils



The purpose of Jim Crow laws was to ensure white superiority, and quell any thoughts of equality between blacks and whites. This attitude was persistent throughout that time period, however what made Jim Crow laws unique was that not only was it approved by society but also by the law. For example in major court cases, “the Supreme Court helped undermine the Constitutional protections of blacks with the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case, which legitimized Jim Crow laws and the Jim Crow way of life” (Pilgrim). The government not only condoned the actions by holding these laws up as constitutional, these laws became drastically worse as time went on. Every aspect of life for African Americans throughout this time only decreased in value, not only to them but to the white society as well as lynchings became commonplace in areas all over the South. Certain aspects such as transportation for example were highly segregated as well, and there was no truth whatsoever to there being any sort of equality. For example, due to segregation in transportation there was “no other point of race contact is so much and so bitterly discussed among Negroes as the Jim Crow car” (“Jim Crow Laws”). The Jim Crow laws only served the purpose of showing that not only were blacks treated with contempt throughout this time period, but also that it was a legitimate way of life approved by the government of the United States.

“Jim Crow Laws”. // Freedom Riders // //.// PBS News. Web. 2 February 2015.

Pilgrim, David. “What Was Jim Crow?”. // Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia //. Ferris State University. Web. 2 February 2015.

Historical: Harrisen

What is known as the Jim Crow Laws, was a racial caste system that flourished between 1874 until 1975. The name ‘Jim Crow” was used as a jabbing term, since it came from a black character in an older song (Jim Crow Laws). While these laws existed primarily in the southern and border states, they were not exclusive to them. It was the beginning of complete segregation in society. It was such an extreme, that some of the laws prevented black motorists from ever having the right-of-way, or having a choice of seating in a car when a white person was driving. The biggest factor in what made the Jim Crow Laws so undermining was the help of the government. “However, after 1877, and the election of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, southern and border states began restricting the liberties of blacks...the Supreme Court helped undermine the Constitutional protections of blacks with the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case, which legitimized Jim Crow laws and the Jim Crow way of life” (Pilgrim 2). There was also the lesser known Jim Crow etiquette, which went into detail about more of what was socially accepted of black people rather than the laws that made transportation, and public services increasingly more difficult and humiliating. In 1990, Stetson Kennedy wrote //Jim Crow Guide// which “offered” principles for African Americans to follow. Some of the principles given were rules such as never commented on the appearance of a white woman or never making oneself seem of higher intelligence than a white person. The laws were challenged later on in the 1950’s with the most notable case of Rosa Parks in 1955, where she was fined for not giving up her seat on a bus and eventually led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, invalidating the laws for good (Jim Crow Laws).

Pilgrim, David. “What was Jim Crow?” //Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia//. Ferris State University. Sept. 200. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.

n.p. “Jim Crow Laws” //United States History//. n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2015

Cultural: Kara Jim Crow Laws were a racial attack that brought around many disagreements, petitions, and mass cultural upset around the county. Having already been oppressed throughout history African Americans were almost to the point of being done with the segregation, and many were hopeful. There were African Americans moving into cities and neighborhoods, moving for better work and adjusting to the way of life, but then there were new laws put in place. These were the Jim Crow Laws, this separated the cultures of the white and black people of America, making their work, school, and life a distanced event from one another. New movements began to pop up, activists like Rosa Parks started a new revolution and a culture of denial towards these laws. These laws and the reaction of the African American culture around it “ marked the birth of the modern civil rights movement”(Jim Crow Laws). These movements joined the culture together, brought about movements and activists from the oppressed people that would soon join the culture of America back into one piece. The Crow laws themselves tore into American cultures. It broke apart any possibilities of joining black and white Americans and further separated their rich and poor cultures. This was the purposeful action though from the United States governments in the South, their laws were to separate the black and white people in the nation and and they succeeded for a while, but the cultures did eventually, lead by cultural symbols, break free of the government’s laws.

"Jim Crow Laws." //Jim Crow Laws.// Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

"Jim Crow Laws - Separate Is Not Equal." //Jim Crow Laws - Separate Is Not Equal.// Web. 02 Feb. 2015.

Audience: Savannah



Jim Crow laws were aimed primarily at the African American race. The goal of these laws was to to completely segregate the black population from the white population and to discourage any white person from affiliating with or supporting a black person. According to David Pilgrim, Professor of Sociology at Ferris State University, these laws were designed to push the social status of blacks to the position of a second class citizen (1). These laws were extensive, detailed, and harsh and made it impossible for African Americans, or those with even the smallest amount of African American blood, to do anything in society. According to the National Park Service, an example of a law would be “ All marriages between...white persons and negroes or white persons...are prohibited and declared absolutely void...No person having one-eighth part or more of negro blood shall be permitted to marry any white person” (“Jim Crow Laws” 1). Through these laws, racists were able to target African Americans and deny them basic rights that most individuals in modern times take for granted, such as a handshake, looking at someone, or using a bathroom. Jim Crow and proponents of these laws just assumed that white equaled privileged and black meant dirty. Black citizens were the key audience of the Jim Crow laws because many in these southern or border states hated African Americans, seeing them truly as second class, and wanted to segregate them from normal society.

“Jim Crow Laws.” // Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site //. National Park Service: US Department of the Interior. Web. Feb. 2 2015.

Pilgrim, David. “What Was Jim Crow?” // Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia //. Ferris State University. Web. Feb. 2 2015.