How Did Jim Crow Laws Affect The Criminal Justice System

Jim Crow, originating in the late 19th century, was the name given to the racial caste system that implemented many anti-black legislations. Following the Great Depression of the 1930’s, the poverty that resulted from the economic disaster created more racial tension between whites and blacks. Working class white Americans blamed black Americans for stealing their jobs and homes, which influenced local and state governments to reinforce the “separate but equal” decision from the Plessy v. Ferguson Case. Along with the violence black Americans received from white supremacists in the 1950’s, the Jim Crow Laws delayed the progress of blacks by prohibiting them from receiving equal treatment in the criminal justice system, especially in the cases
of Emmett Till and George Washington Lee.
Because of the anti-black views America had, the chances of blacks receiving justice against whites in the criminal justice system were nearly impossible. In the murder case of Emmett Till, the evidence against the murderers - who were white - was overwhelming. The two men named Roy Bryant and J.W Milam brutally tortured and murdered Emmett or allegedly whistling at Roy’s wife, Carolyn (Biography.com). The two men beat Emmett until his face was unrecognizable and shot him in the head. Soon afterwards, they tied a 75 pound cotton-gin fan onto Emmett’s body and tossed his corpse into the Tallahatchie River. The case was settled in the South and the all-white jurors read out to the court that Roy and J.W were not guilty of murder (History.com). In the murder case George Washington Lee, the outcome was similar. George Washington Lee was the head of the Belzoni, Mississippi, branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and advocated for blacks to vote. George Washington Lee is most remembered for giving a speech at the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, in which he promoted black self-sufficiency, voting rights, and the
boycott of racist businesses. Because of this, he was a major target for white supremacists (Legal Legacy). On May 7, 1955, less than a month after the speech, an unknown individual pulled up alongside Lee’s vehicle and fired three shotgun shells at him. Prior to this event, someone sent him a letter threatening him to stop advocating for black voting rights. The sheriff, who investigated the crime scene, told the NAACP and the black community that Lee had died in a car accident. There were no further investigations despite it being obvious that Lee was murdered and the Belonzi police department ignored the case (Zen Education Project). Unfortunately during this decade, Emmett Till and George Washington Lee were only two of many black Americans that were failed by the criminal justice system. As aforementioned, the Jim Crow Laws delayed the progress of blacks by prohibiting them from receiving equal treatment in the criminal justice system, especially in the cases of Emmett Till and George Washington Lee. However, the deaths of innocent black men and women lead to the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement entered mainstream America and received support throughout the country (besides the south), resulting in more legislations to be passed. Even in modern day America, the struggle to achieve full equality for black Americans continue on.