In the late 1870s, Southern state legislatures passed laws requiring the separation of whites from persons of color. The segregation started in public transportation and schools, but ultimately was extended to parks, cemeteries, theatres, and restaurants. Basically, any contact between blacks and whites as equals ceased. This was based on the ideal of the …show more content…
In the 1830s, a white actor named Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice performed as a black slave. The routine portrayed black people as dumb and comedic. The show gained popularity and with it the term “Jim Crow”, which became a common way to refer to people of color.
Civil rights leaders fought hard to overturn legal segregation of races. It took effort and cooperation from many strong people to achieve equality under the law. The U.S. Constitution as originally written did little to protect the rights of African Americans, did not abolish slavery, and offered little protection from racial discrimination.
After the Civil War the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment were added to the Constitution, these amendments meant that African Americans would receive fair treatment under the law. The 13th amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to everyone born in the United States, banned states from limiting citizens' rights, depriving them of due process of law, or denying any person the equal protection of the laws. The 15th Amendment prohibited racial discrimination in …show more content…
He was falsely accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman who was a cashier at a grocery store. Days later, her husband and brother kidnapped, beat, and shot Emmett but were acquitted for the crime by an all-white jury. This is just one example of the lack of justice that reigned during this time.
The most extreme form of Jim Crow violence were lynchings. In this violent method of social control, lynch mobs directed their hatred against the victims. They were hung as examples of what happened to a black person who stepped out of line. Most of the victims of Lynch were hanged or shot, but some were burned at the stake, castrated, beaten with clubs, or dismembered. Most blacks were killed for demanding civil rights, violating Jim Crow, or in the aftermath of race riots.
The Jim Crow Laws were created to segregate people of color from whites in a racist post- civil war society. These laws and etiquettes embodied the hatred towards African Americans and showed just how low they were viewed as. Many strong civil rights leaders and brave African-Americans helped tear down the color barrier and led to a far more accepting and equal society. Works