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. **

**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 finally gave me citizenship now that I am not a slave anymore. The Due Process clause of the 14th Amendment means that the government must protect all of my legal rights that are owed to me according to the law. The Equal Protection of the Law clause requires that states provide me equal protection under the law that anyone under their jurisdiction would get.

**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]

I remember that Homer Plessy, who was 30 years old at the time, was sent to jail for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad. Young Plessy was a light skinned Creole and he could have passed for a white person. But, because he was part black, he was supposed to sit in the black only car under Louisiana law. He decided to challenge the Separate Car Act of 1892 by sitting in the "White" car and declaring that he was black. He was arrested and his case went all the way to the Supreme Court! I recall that his lawyer said that the Separate Car Act was in violation of the 13th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution. The Supreme Court decided that the railroad cars, both the "White" and black only, were equal in quality, and that the law allowed for separate cars if they were of equal quality, Plessy's arrest for violating that law was legal and not unconstitutional. Only one justice on the Supreme Court felt that Plessy's argument was valid. The justice said that the Constitution was color-blind and that all citizens are equal under the law. What the court's decision did was strengthen the doctrine of "separate but equal" as long as the segregation being considered were of equal quality.

**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 didn't write the Jim Crow laws. He couldn't have because Jim Crow was just a character in a Minstrel Show. He wasn't a real person. The character "Jim Crow" came from a song and was originally portrayed by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice. Rice was a white man who went on stage in blackface make-up as Jim Crow. The character portrayed black people as "singing, dancing, grinning fools." This type of entertainment was very popular and made Rice a lot of money when he took his show on the road. It made people believe that black people were lazy, stupid, less human and not worthy of integration.


 * 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 the Jim Crow laws were that Black people were excluded from public transportation and facilities. It sure is inconvenient when we have to use a bathroom way out in the field when White people can just walk into the facility inside the gas station. As a barber, I can't cut a White girl or woman's hair. When grandma died, I couldn't bury her in the same cemetery where a white person is buried. I went to the library the other day and had to use a separate room to read a book I was interested in. My friend can't serve wine or beer to a White and Black person in the same room. He can only serve all White folks or all Black folks at one time. He can't serve them together. I'm planning a trip to visit my aunt in Georgia. I'll have to buy my ticket from a different ticket window than the White folks, wait for the bus in a separate room and then I'll have to sit way in the back away from the White passengers. I have a lot of rules to remember. I can't shake a White man's hand because it implies social equality. When I eat out, I have to remember that if a White person is near, they get served first and I better not think about lighting a White woman's cigarette. If I'm out with my girl, we can't show affection towards one another. I better not kiss her! It may offend a White person. If I break any of these rules and get caught, I could lose my home, job or even my life. I don't want to get caught breaking any of the Jim Crow laws because I'll never get a fair trial. The criminal justice system is run by all Whites. I risk being lynched. That's awful. Lynchings are done in public and are carried out by an angry mob.


 * 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]

Life in Jim Crow America was hard for minorities, especially Black people. Blacks were often mistreated. Pictures of Black people having to use a separate water fountain or bathroom showed the hatred some White people felt towards them. Pictures of White children outside of a modern school were in contrast to stories of Black children forced to walk miles to inferior schools.


 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]

The Scottsboro Case was a trial in which nine black youths were convicted unjustly of raping two hobo white women. The story is that the nine black youths and several white youths were riding on a freight train trying to find work. The two groups got into a fight and the white youths were thrown off of the train. After they told the stationmaster about the fight, he wired ahead to stop the train in Painted Rock. The nine black youths were rounded up. Two white women dressed like boys were found on the train. The black youths were charged with raping the two white women. The white women had had sexual relations with some of the white youths. But, fearing arrest for having sex with the white youths, the women agreed to testify against the black youths. The trial was held before an all white jury in Scottsboro, Alabama. The jury convicted the nine black youths and sentenced all, except one 12 year old, to death. Several groups from the north condemned the verdict and managed to get the convictions overturned. One by one the youths were tried again and convicted again. The verdicts were contested again and the four youngest of the nine were set free after spending six years in jail. All but one of the nine were set free. One youth was convicted and sentenced to 75 years in prison. He escaped and fled to Michigan. The treatment of the nine black youths made me realize that life had not really changed for African Americans in the South. Even though the Constitution said that we were free and equal under the law, that didn't seem to matter to the white people in the South. I am afraid of making a mistake or being in the wrong place at the wrong time because I could end up in jail, convicted and sentenced to death for something I didn't do just like the nine black youth in Scottsboro, Alabama.

**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** [|Audio History LINK 1]

My friend, Charles Gratton, told me a couple of stories about growing up in the South. He said that he was born and raised into it (the South) and it was all he knew. His mother used to give him instructions when he would run and errand for her. One day, he was going to the store and his mother reminded him that if he were to pass white people on the sidewalk he should step off and give the white person the sidewalk. That is just the way things are. His mother would tell him not to challenge white people. Another story that he told me was about going to school. He said that the white kids could go to school close to their home. Charles said that he had to walk 6-7 miles a day to get to his school and that he probably was sick a lot because of the long walk he had. He talked about thinking what a shame it was that he had to walk so far and that the white kids didn't have to do that.

Another friend, Joe Holloway, told me a story that gave me chills. He talked about a family car trip that opened his eyes to what life was like for black folk in the South. He lived in California and didn't realize that life in the South was different for black people. He recalled that he was a youngster traveling in a car to go to visit a relative in Louisiana. Joe was amazed that black people couldn't rent a hotel room or buy food because of the color of their skin. They had stopped at a gas station for food and fuel when the owner of the station said that they didn't serve "your kind". He had to use an outhouse in the middle of a field instead of the real bathroom that white people could use. He said that that was just the way things were. Joe said that the owner warned them that they needed to get out of town before dark or there could be trouble. He said they bought gas and got on the road but took a wrong turn and ended up on a street that had an angry mob of white people attacking a black person on it. The mob set the black person on fire. He said that they were shocked! Unfortunately, when they tried to speed away, the mob noticed them and started to chase after them. Joe said they managed to find a hiding place but they were so frightened. They came very close to being lynched themselves!