AP+P3+Jim+Crow+Laws

Jim Crow Laws

**Historical - Emmalee Mauldin**
Jim Crow Laws existed for decades until the turn of America’s viewpoints on racial segregation finally began. The “laws” existed between 1877 and the mid/late-1960’s, and were only destroyed during the Civil Rights Movement. The laws were essentially the social “norms” of the time period in which they existed, where the white race ruled supreme and all others were inferior. In the case of African Americans, they were simply “animals” and were meant to work in the fields and please the white race. Jim Crow Laws consisted of concepts such as, “Whites did not use courtesy titles of respect when referring to blacks, for example, Mr., Mrs., Miss., Sir, or Ma’am. Instead, blacks were called by their first names. Blacks had to use courtesy titles when referring to whites, and were not allowed to call them by their first names” (Piligrim 1). African Americans were also not allowed to use the same bathrooms, drinking fountains, schools, buses, hospital wings - essentially anything; nothing could be shared. It was a way of thinking that people had established over hundreds of years, where “blacks” were inferior, and it was a difficult concept to break. In fact, it took decades until something as simple as the Civil Rights Act of 1968 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed into law, which finally gave the freedoms to African American’s that they deserved. Jim Crow Laws have contributed to the permanent scar left from the pre-Civil Rights Movement and serve as a reminder that individuals of every race have a right to live and be free.

Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. "Civil Rights Movement." //History.com.// Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1991. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
 * Works Cited**

Piligrim, David. " What Was Jim Crow." //Jim Crow Museum: Origins of Jim Crow.// Ferris State University, Sept. 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.


 * Katie - Cultural **

Jim Crow laws were discriminatory ordinances that defined several generations of civil protests and rights movements in the United States. There was a significant amount of fear and hate that went into the creation of these laws, which in turn perpetuated a racial class system where white people were at the top. This sense of racism was particularly prevalent between 1877 and the 1960s when it permeated every part of society from education to religion to politics (Pilgrim 1). The discriminatory attitude led to the development of strong opposition movements that fought for equality. Separate but equal attitudes bred stronger desire to achieve the liberty the Constitution had promised all citizens of the United States and as time passed and support grew, the actions of protesters became bolder and bolder. Shortly before the end of Jim Crow was the famous challenge of Rosa Parks that brought Jim Crow sharply into the spotlight (Jim Crow Laws 1). As cultural and social values began to evolve, the rabid support for unjust Jim Crow laws began to wane and a new standard of civil equality began to form. Today the Jim Crow laws are in the past, and although racism has not totally disappeared, the U.S. is well on its way to that goal.

"Jim Crow Laws." //United States History//. Web. 2 Feb. 2015. Pilgrim, David. "What Was Jim Crow." //Ferris State University//. Ferris State University, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.
 * Works Cited: **

Audience - Savannah

Jim Crow laws were obviously intended for use against people of color, but more importantly, they were used to create a deeper social divide between white people and black. The systemic oppression of blacks was essentially established with the American slave trade, and once they were freed men, whites still held them under their thumbs. Jim Crow laws were intended for black people, but to make them acknowledge that they were “inferior” to white people during their time of use. This furthered their oppression. One could argue that the audience of Jim Crow laws would be white people in general. These “laws” appeased the violence hungry whites of the South, and the racist attitudes of white people of the time. The rules were intended to keep blacks at the bottom of the racial hierarchy (Ferris State).

"What Was Jim Crow." //Jim Crow Museum: Origins of Jim Crow//. N.p., n.d. Web. //PBS//. PBS, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

**Aim - Sabrina** Jim Crow laws were more than just anti-black laws because it formed into a way of life for African Americans. Blacks were not the only ones affected by such laws. Women, Natives, and even Mexicans were deeply impacted in similar ways. When ministers would teach that individuals who are white were the “chosen people” by God then black people were looked at as the damned. One of the many laws included, “A black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a white male because it implied being socially equal. Obviously, a black male could not offer his hand or any other part of his body to a white woman, because he risked being accused of rape”(Pilgrim). Not only where many whites under the impression of their superiority, blacks were culturally and intellectually subordinate. The point that Jim Crow laws represent is the historical significance of segregation or inferiority of other races going as far back as Jews in Ancient Egypt. Religion has paved the way for many wars and slavery, therefore a sinister trail has been paved when individuals of a “special” race find themselves of higher status because of their beliefs. This represents that darkness that humanity has passed on throughout centuries. Jim Crow laws resemble this lack of order and morality, but were created to keep blacks completely separated from whites so that no interracial children would form that could “destroy America”. Thus, throughout history the same types of laws and rules were utilized to show dominance over other races.

Pilgrim, David. “What Was Jim Crow.” Jim Crow Museum: Origins of Jim Crow. Ferris State University, Sept 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.

“Slavery in the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Worlds.” Digital History. 2014. Web 02 Feb. 2015.