Jim Crow Law History Paper

The topic that I chose for my research paper is the Jim Crow laws. I chose this topic because during this time period the Jim Crow laws were a huge obstacle that our country had to overcome in order to grow. The Jim Crow laws were created to separate whites and blacks in their everyday lives, allowing for no interaction between races. The Jim Crow Laws were enforced in the southern, United States. The laws existed between 1877 and the 1950’s, around the time the reconstruction period was ending and the civil rights movement was beginning.

My research topic is the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and I chose this topic because I always found it amusing that it took so long for African Americans to legally be allowed to vote. I also thought this topic was appropriate since we now have an African American president, and the African Americans citizens need to know that voting I important because we didn’t always have that right.

For my research topic I chose “Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws.” I chose this topic because I have heard about Jim Crow Laws many times through television, books, and history classes but never in depth. I wanted to know more about the topic, along with black codes, which I have never heard about and didn’t know existed. Choosing this topic allowed me to gain more knowledge on both of these topics. Before this paper, my knowledge of Jim Crows laws was that they were laws that White Southerners were using to keep former slaves as insubordinates to them. I learned that this is the basic idea and purpose of the Jim Crow laws, but they were also used to prevent complaints and issues, with the separate but equal laws, that said that black were to receive equal, but separate public facilities and buildings. What I wanted to know is how black codes differed from Jim Crow laws. To answer this question I found out the history behind them, the differences and the similarities, and in that, was able to grow as a researcher.

Comedy performer Thomas “Jim Crow” Rice coined the term “Jim Crow” through his derogatory minstrel shows in which danced and sang in an offensive way towards African Americans while covered in black shoe polish. Even though Rice was only trying to entertain his audience, his performances suggested that all African Americans were ignorant useless buffoons Rice’s performances were so derogatory towards African Americans that they removed signs of humanity from them and caused people to become less compassionate towards Negroes. As a “system of laws and customs that imposed racial segregation and discrimination on Africans”, Jim Crow Laws were ubiquitous in America from the 1860’s to the 1960’s (Jim Crow Movement). These Jim Crow Laws came

So i’m going to be talking about the background and raise of America. So slavery was a big thing in America back then. Also hate crime against black raises that white people were never investigated. Many strategies were used to fight for the Civil Rights, and success and failure were experienced along the way to achieve their goals.

The whole research paper is over, “Have African Americans made significant progress since the end of the Civil War in 1865? Examine the challenges that African Americans faced during the Reconstruction Era through to the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Look at the impact that legislation has had from the "Civil War Amendments" to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the rise of Jim Crow and the KKK, and the events and figures that helped shape the African American experience during that time span?”

The State of Tennessee enacted 20 Jim Crow laws between 1866 and 1955, including six requiring school segregation, four which outlawed miscegenation, three which segregated railroads, two requiring segregation for public accommodations, and one which mandated segregation on streetcars. The 1869 law declared that no citizen could be excluded from the University of Tennessee because of race or color but then mandated that instructional facilities for black students be separate from those used by white students. As of 1954, segregation laws for miscegenation, transportation and public accommodation were still in effect. - See more at:

From 1877 to the mid 1960s Jim Crow laws were in place. African Americans were viewed as second class citizens, not equal. Many people, usually ministers, thought whites were “The Chosen People”, that anyone of color was cursed and destined to be a servant. African Americans were almost viewed as animals, and not humans, they were definitely treated that way. After years of fighting and trying to be equal with the white race, African Americans were granted their wish of having rights, and the horrible treatment ended, or so they thought. That’s where the Jim Crow laws began.

Segregation was in the work place too (Sharp 27). Black parents were seen as unfit parents by white authorities then their children given to white farmers. They were with these whit farmers until they were twenty-one (Sharp 13). Most of the farmhands in the south were blacks (George 50). Tenant farmers verbal agreements to work for nine years (George 50). Vagrancy codes governed the employment of blacks (Sharp 12). Black codes prohibited blacks from owning land, had curfews, punishments for gestures, acts, and behaviors (Sharp 12).

Jim Crow Laws were enacted to oppress the colored however, despite the malicious intent could positive results have emerged from that bleak time period?

Out of the many prompts I have written and gone over so far, I feel my best essay and favorite one would be the Jim crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws interest me the most because to me personally learning about the law intrigues me and knowing how the people in the south had these very cruel laws made this assignment more exciting to be learning and writing about. I learned that many African Americans or people of color did not live in a world where freedom was free and we all had justice. Instead they lived in a world of segregation and cruelty. Using the Spring Board Book pages 196-198 written by Rick Edmonds gave me many visuals in my head of how the many colored people lived through the harsh laws they had to follow. I feel this resource was

Jim Crow racism was something that affected all colored people, but especially African Americans. It kept the white and the colored separate from 1877 to the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s, and kept the whites feeling superior to the colored. They could go to the same school, eat at the same table, sit in the same part of the bus, or do any of the things or have any of the rights that people can take for granted today. If one stood against Jim Crow, there would be severe consequences. Examples of these consequences were lynching, tar and feathering, and for white people, isolation and exclusion. These were enough to scare people away from fighting Jim Crow. One person could not effectively fight Jim Crow racism because the social forces and the fear of punishment from Jim Crow racism were strong.

The Jim Crow laws also started in the 1890’s followed by the Separate but Equal law. These laws affected almost every single aspect of daily life for colored citizens. To keep a constant reminder or racial order “Whites Only” and “Colored” signs were hung up all around. The Jim Crow laws also prevented many colored people from voting in the south because in order to vote you had to pass a test. This test was exceptionally hard for African Americans because many couldn’t read or write well causing them to not being able to vote. This lead to more racists governors taking office in the south. With racial tensions rising and no liberty in sight African Americans with the help of some White Americans decided enough was enough.

The Jim Crow laws from the 1930s were about power. Power of one race over another. These laws really highlight the flaws and weakness of human nature. Although the Jim Crow Laws from the 1930s and the various laws presented today have some of the same impacts, there are still many differences between the two on black rights.

The Jim Crow laws segregated black and white people because It would benefit white people such as white business owners may only want to hire white people so black people became unemployed very easily or they may only serve white peoples or how black people had to sit in the back of the bus.