JimCrow

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] Well my friends, there are lots of stories to be told. But the focus now is the 14th Amendment, yes sir this amendment is very important to me. It gives all blacks, including myself, rights. It also gave the enslaved families from the past citizenship. I remember it quite well actually, it was a hot june that month, in 1866, the congress had passed the 14th Amendment. And later on the states ratified it in 1868. This amendment also granted protection to recently free slaves. Due process of law means, that their must be fair treatment to everyone US born. The US, including the states with in it couldn't deny the immunities to a Citizen. I think the equal protection of the laws means that regardless of what color you are or what your race was from the past if you are American born then you shall get the equal protection that the laws provide.

**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] It all started when Mr Plessy sat in the white car. Due to what he looked like he could have passed as a white man, i fairly new him. We passed the streets every once in a while. I saw him one day after the whole supreme court deal, and invited him to the closest diner for dinner. He agreed, as we ate our food we also talked about what had happened. Him and his lawyer said that the segregated car act broke his 13th and 14th Amendment. Although through our eyes the segregated cars shouldn't be considered constitutional and equal. Although though our eyes it doesn't matter it all came down to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said as long as it was equal, it was ok. This later grew to everything public, restaurants, theaters, bathrooms, and public schools.

**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] As a black person I hated the Jim Crow laws, although there was no Jim Crow. The name Jim Crow came from a musical. Jim Crow was a black character played by a white man. Through my eyes this was very exaggerated and stereotypical towards my race. The Jim Crow laws prevented me from having my freedom. No Jim Crow did not write the laws, he resembled the segregational laws, and rules.

I remember that i couldn't shake a white man's hand, because it ment that we were socially equal. I would have been accused for rape if i had offered any part of my body to a white women. One night after watching a movie, in a segregated theatre, i offered to light up a white women's cigarette. She looked at me horrified thinking Iwas trying to imply getting intimate with her, not thinking I was doing this out of generosity. When I was walking down the streets I remember hearing that I was to never show affection to my lady in public, cause this offended the whites. When introduced to someone new it would always be the white person being introduced to me not visa versa. That was one of the things I hated the most. One last one I would like to talk about, never ever could you be implying or say that white person was lying.
 * 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]

He looked a lot worse, there were more and more things coming up talking about how we couldn't interact with whites. Had to have segregated fountains and schools. Though there are many pictures to show that the times got a lot rougher on us blacks, the picture that describes it most is the picture of all the black children around the only black water fountain. It just makes me think that it is silly and uncalled for, for this type of segregation. There should be equality amongst us all.
 * 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]

In the Scottsboro case 9 black children were arrested for rape of two white women. 8 out of the 9 were sentenced to death for this. This made me extremely angry that the government can make such a ridiculous call on 9 innocent children. There were many protests after hearing about the verdict. This offended and hurt the feelings of all the blacks around. I too feared my life, if i had made one mistake I too could end up in the gallows too.
 * 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] The audio would not work.