Life+in+Jim+Crow+America

 
 * 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 are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in American. 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 guaranteed citizenship to people once enslaved and protect the civil liberties of recently freed slaves. due process means that blacks and wites can go to court and have their say while "equal protection of the laws" means that they have equal rights with everyone else.

**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] Well Plessy, who was considerate a creol of coloer because he was a mixed race, sat in a "white" car while he was half black and got arrested. The case went all the way up to the supreme court and many thought that it s constitutional to have everything separate as long as it was 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 the title of a song. It contains the lyrics: //"Come listen all you galls and boys, I'm going to sing a little song, My name is Jim Crow. Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb'ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow."// The actor, Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice. Rice, would go onstage and pretend to be a stereotypical black man and sing it. Rice was the first actor to dress up as a black man by black washing his skin to be even darker than my own. He would then sing the "Jim Crow" song and do a dance routine. This soon became a huge hit with white folk. He potrayed us as singing, dancing, foolish asses.

Then by 1938, the term "Jim Crow" was used to call black people. Luckily though, it was not as affensive as //n-.// The use of the term though did not last and instead was used to call the anti-negro laws.

There were many Jim Crow laws in America that effected me. For instance, in Birmingham, Alabama 1930 it is illegal for me and a white person to play around or together in a game of dice, dominoes, checkers, or cards. In Missouri, 1929, all schools were segregated. In Nebraska, 1911, mixed marriages were outlawed if one party was even just 1/8 black, japanese, or chinese. Even back in 1891 in Tennessee railroads were even made segregated- by providing two or more passenger cars for each train or even dividing up train cars in portions. Under the Jim Crow laws, I am automatically a second-class citizen or lower. Even priest preached that the white population was God's chosen people, and that us negroes are supposed to be the servants. They even preached that God supported segregation. These Jim Crow laws basically stated that the white race is superior to us black folks in all way shape and from. We weren't allowed to be introduced to whites, only whites were allowed to be introduced first. White people weren't even allowed to call us by titles such as Mr., sir, maam, etc. I am not even allowed to show any form of public display towards my wife, for any public displays of affection by us is illegal. Black and white people aren't allowed to shake hands, for it shows that they are equal. No matter what happens, a white man will always be obliged to pass me in the road and in all intersections. I am not even allowed to eat with any white friends that I may have! These Jim crow laws sure do not make America seem like the land of equality and of the free.
 * 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]


 * What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?** __<span style="color: rgb(129,0,129);">Jim Crow Images LINK 1 __/ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Jim Crow Images LINK 2]

In the 1900s, we were completely segregated from white people. If i wanted to see a film, I either sat all the way up in the balcony with other black people, or had to go all the way to a completely different theater or showing of the film. Public water fountains were also segregated- there was a black one, usually more used and dirty, and then a white one which was usually clean and lightly used. Schools were segregated, and hospitals were as well. There were also segregated waiting rooms too.

The Scottsboro Case was about a fight that broke out on a train between black and white people on March 25, 1931. The white hobos were then thrown off the train. When the fight had been reported, the train was pulled over and the group of black hobos were jailed. Later, 2 women dressed as hobos were discovered on the train. Then a group black youth were charged with raping the two women, even though they had actually had sexual relationships with the people thrown off the train. The black youth were charged even though there was no evidence. The white women agreed to prosecute them because they feared people would find out about their relationships with the white hobos. The group of youth were then tried against by an all white jury, and all but one of them were given the death penalty.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Scottsboro LINK]

The Scottsboro Case made me feel very uncomfortable with living in the South. It made me feel helpless and defenseless. It made me realize that the majority should not be able to choose the outcome of the minority. Now I know that it truly is a white man's world.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** Friends and family realize how unfair life truly is. One friend's uncle had an emergency and ended up dying because the white doctor arrived 8 hours late. Another friend was driving and ran out of gas, but wasn't able to get any because it was a white gas station. When asking to use the bathroom at that gas station, the person helping him pointed over to the middle of the pasture and told him to go there, in an ancient, disgusting outhouse. Life certainly is not fair and I would not wish this upon anyone.