Anti-Black Terrorism: The Jim Crow Era

The Reconstruction Era and The Jim Crow Era were both times of Rapid growth in the United States that were characterized by changes not only on the intrapersonal level, but also on the cultural and legislative level. The Reconstruction Era occurred directly after the civil war and spanned twelve years from 1865 to 1877 , while the Jim Crow Era occurred from 1877 to 1954. Some of the common themes of these eras were race relations and tension between northern states and southern states. The first topic that this paper will be covering is race relations during these two eras. Race relations were a central theme in the two films The Birth of a Nation and Within Our Gates making it a natural fit. The other topic that will be covered in this paper is the role and responsibilities of northern states during the reconstruction era. In this paper, Northern states will be defined as any state who supported the union during the American Civil War.

Jim Crow laws started in the 1880s and lasted into the 1960s, a majority of American states enforced segregation through "Jim Crow" laws. From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated (Tischauser 57-68). The Jim Crow laws affected Tom Robinson’s life in many ways. He simply was segregated from the white population. Tom was discriminated by almost everyone in the community he lived in. During this time this was normal and blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Some English Dictionaries define ‘Jim Crow’ as the name for an implement that can straighten or bend iron rails; or, along with ‘Jim Crowism’, systems or practices of racial discrimination or segregation. The American English Dictionary suggests that the name only emerged in dictionaries in 1904, but it was clearly used as early as 1876.

Jim Crow was the name of a minstrel routine performed beginning in 1828. The term came to be a derogatory epiblast for African Americans and a designation for their segregated life. Southern state legislatures passed laws requiring the separation of whites from “persons with color”. The Jim Crow law was from 1877 to 1954. (Britannica.com)

The old Jim Crow was a racial caste system in America that separate Black people from Whites like school and bathroom separations. Whites were privileged to have all of the superior public necessities , while blacks were free labors and viewed as inferior servants between 1877 and the 1960s. The Jim Crow system create racial caste that Whites are above all Blacks. Law was legal to prevent African Americans from going to the same school that Whites go to, and they could

The term “Jim Crow” originally referred to a black character in an old story and was the name of a popular dance in the 1820s. Thomas “Daddy” Rice created a routine in which he blacked his face, wore old clothes and sang and dance in an imitation of an old and decrepit black man. In the song, Rice published the words to the song, “Jump, Jim Crow,” in 1830. An example of the Jim Crow law is the Montgomery bus operators. They were supposed to separate their coaches into two sections: whites were up front, and the blacks were in the back. The white section had comfortable seats, while black’s seats were hard and not as comfortable as the white passenger’s seats. The U.S. military allowed African Americans to participate in World War II. (u-s-history.com)

Jim Crow Laws were mainly found in the southern states of the the US, but could also sometimes be found in northern states. These laws were created around the time the 14th amendment was created in which all races had the right to vote. Jim Crow Laws were meant to limit the freedom of Africans-American. These laws included,”A black male could not offer his hand to a white man” and that blacks and whites were not suppose to eat together. An African-American couldn’t even look in the direction of a white person without being punished.

In a progressive society like the United States, looking to the past is common, to learn from our mistakes but some undeniable issues of the past repeat and are omitted from our society because of their unpleasant nature, a great example of this is the Jim-Crow Era. In this paper, I will be discussing the main events of the Jim-Crow era, its initiation, the new style of slavery in the south, and the way it re-shaped the lives of African Americans all across the country, its re-enforcement in the beginning of the twentieth century, its major supporters, like the Ku Klux Klan. Confederate state leaders, and its major oppositions like the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, and the idea of the United States setting a global example of

Jim Crow was not a person, yet affected the lives of many. Originally named after a 19th-century minstrel song that harshly stereotyped African Americans, Jim Crow laws were in place from around 1880 to the 1960s. Though this idea of separation may be hard to understand in today’s society, it was very relevant and thrived in America for a good eighty years! These laws and practices in the South were very successful because they were sanctioned by the national government ("The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow"). “The actions -- or, more frequently, inactions—of the three branches of the federal government were essential in defining the lifespan of Jim Crow” ("The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow"). From this support spurred extreme support from racial groups directed by white clergymen. One group, called the Klu Klux Klan—KKK for short—practiced cross burning and defacement of property in order to ridicule African-Americans. As hard to believe as it is, it “continues today

The Jim Crow laws were passed into law in 1965. The laws went down to even the local level. They caused Africans social, educational, and economic hardships and endeavors. The Jim Crow laws were very similar to the Black Codes passed in 1800-1866. The Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws were similar which restrict civil rights and liberties. The slogan adopted for the Jim Crow laws was, ‘Separate but equal.” This was rarely the case though in many places the facilities were not equal.

The Jim Crow laws were laws that kept people of color still under whites as well as separate them. Such has a white’s only restaurant, different baseball leagues based on colored, colored couldn’t show displays of affection, whites and color couldn’t dine together, and other laws that ridiculously limited colored folks. These laws were also dangerous or at least the punishments were brutal. Anyone who broke or defy these laws would be arrested or lynched.

The Jim Crow Era was an era that had anti-Black laws and an all-white justice system (Lecture 11/06/13). Some of the laws included Black men not being allowed to shake a white man’s hand, could not offer to light a women’s cigarette, Black couples were not allowed to show public displays of affection (PDA), and Black people could not eat with white people (Lecture 11/06/13). There was several other little laws that were anti-Black. Racism was huge during the Jim Crow Era, for example, the use of bad language towards Blacks were in books and newspapers (11/06/13). Institutional racism also existed with voting and lynching. Only white democrats could vote in primaries and over a half of white police officers participated in lynching (Lecture 11/06/13). The lynching of Black people went on for a long time, from 1882 through 1968 (11/06/13). One historical event that was violent towards Blacks was the Scottsboro Boys in 1931. There was nine unemployed Black men that were

With the end of Reconstruction in 1877 white supremacy was still extremely common. White individuals saw themselves as superior to African Americans and people of the lower class. The White politicians had stopped caring about protecting the rights of African Americans. They passed laws which are known as the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow laws separated whites and African Americans in schools, trains, and even water fountains. The Jim Crow Laws allowed white supremacist to discriminate African Americans by just saying that they were separated but still being treated equally. This was not true, the conditions in which the African Americans were being placed in were not at the same quality as the whites. Since the amendments that gave African Americans rights were still enacted White Supremacists often tried to prevent African Americans from exercising their rights. Whites were also more credible than

The era of Jim Crow began after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, in which through the rebuilding of the South, whites established laws and customs that forced freed slaves to stay marginalized and targeted by Southern whites. The purpose of these Jim Crow ideas was to keep blacks and white separated, and to also keep blacks from progressing in society. For instance, Southern whites forced blacks to take literacy tests before they could be considered able to vote. From the start of this Jim Crow era, racial compromise was already occurring. One of the most obvious examples of this compromise comes from the real name of the era. “Jim Crow” was a name used in a

If someone were to ask me, “What is Jim Crow?,” I would basically tell them to sit down and patiently wait as I give them a detailed explanation; an issue in defining or explaining Jim Crow arises because one cannot give a short and sweet explanation without understanding every single aspect of it – the hardships, the struggles, and the corrupt nature of it all. For starters, it is imperative to analyze how the term came about. In 1936, the term “Jim Crow” was born (The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow 2002). According to Litwack, in the early nineteenth century, Thomas “Daddy” Rice was the cause of such popularity; it started off with him painting his face black, wearing loose rags that a beggar would usually wear, and would be “grinning broadly” as he imitated the dance, song, and demeanor that was usually attributed to a “Negro character” (Litwack 1998, xiv). But during the late nineteenth century, the term Jim Crow began to be associated with an even harsher reality among the African Americans during this time. Litwack explains that “‘Jim Crow’ took on additional force and meaning to denote the subordination and separation of black people in the South, much of it codified, much of it still enforced by custom and habit” (Litwack 1998, xv). Simply put, Jim Crow were a set of rules and customs implemented by the whites – mainly Southern, but still present in the North – to ensure that blacks were inferior while the whites were superior.

In order for someone to understand the Jim Crow Laws, one must know how and where it originated. The Jim Crow laws were created in order to keep dark-skinned people separate from light-skinned people. After the Civil War, slaves were set free from their “masters.” Soon afterwards in 1865, the 13th amendment was created in order to abolish slavery. However, the Confederate states found ‘loopholes’ that still kept Black people lesser than a White person. After the 13th amendment was created, the ‘Black Codes’ were also created in 1865-66. They were created because ex-Confederate leaders were voted into office, allowing them to create these laws. The Black Codes were designed to restrict freed Black slaves. Jim Crow originated from an actor named Thomas Dartmouth in the 1830’s. He was a famous actor--who was White and lived in the Southern states--who played as a stereotypical African-American slave named “Jim Crow.” He pulled this off by painting his