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  . You can do this in Word by copying this document onto a new document, completing it using the resources below, and cutting and pasting it into a new page on your notebook. **


 *  1) 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] **

Ah, the glorious 14th Amendment granted citizenship, as well as protected civil liberties, for us African Americans who were once enslaved. "Due process" sates that in legal matters, the government has to respect our legal rights before getting rid of our life, liberty or property, guaranteeing our freedom and maintaining fairness (if someone is sent to jail, they have to be tried in a fair trial with an impartial jury and they have the right to remain silent, to a lawyer etc.) "Equal protection" ensured that even we were created equal and were protected as fairly against laws as anyone else. Both of these sections were so important in the amendment to finally secure our much deserved liberties.


 *  2) 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] **

Yes, our rights were tried some years after the amendment was ratified. Well, Homer Plessy was an African American like us, but he could pass for being a white man, sure. He sat in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad, even though he identified himself as being black, which violated the Separate Car Act. Many said this act was a violation of the 13th and 14th amendments, but nevertheless, Plessy was taken to jail. After hearing the case, the Supreme Court said that separate facilities were Constitutional, as long as they were equal. This terrible idea spread to all parts of public life, including restaurants, restrooms, and public schools, but our spaces were always worse than the whites'.


 * 3) 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] **

Nah, Jim Crow didn't right the laws, he was just a character from a song! Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice, a white man who wrote the tune, was an actor, and Jim Crow was an African American man. But when that mean Rice played Mr. Crow, he was so darn stereotypical! So, we became associated with him and then came more hate!


 * 4) 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] **

Some of these awful laws included, "It shall be unlawful for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers," and, "marriages are void when one party is a white person and the other is possessed of one-eighth or more negro, Japanese, or Chinese blood. We couldn't marry a white person, eat with white person, travel with whites, or really, anything to do with them. I couldn't even shake a white man's hand if I wanted to!


 * 5) 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] **

Oh, Jim Crow American was bad, bad, bad! It was so very segregated you see. Signs were posted that said "whites only" or "for colored people only" all around theaters, water fountains, and a whole bunch of other things!


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 6) What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South? <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #001ee6; font-size: 13pt; padding-right: 10px;">[|Scottsboro LINK] **

Well, nine young African American boys were arrested for raping two white women, which never even happened! When the verdict was read, all but one of these kids were sentenced to death. Oh, the riots this decision caused! It was awful and made me feel so degraded as an African American. The treatment of those boys was completely unfair!


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">7) Why should anyone care about your lilfe during Jim Crow America? <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[|Why should I care? Link] **

Why shouldn't you care? African Americans could do the slightest thing out of the ordinary and be in violation of Jim Crow laws, and it wasn't just about the racial segregation. When a black person was convicted and punished, most of the nation ignored or supported such horrific undertakings. It's important to learn about the motives of the racist attitudes and the resistance of my people to never repeat this grim event in history.