Jim Crow Laws
Marah Petre
Missouri 1929
“...It shall be unlawful for any colored child to attend any white school, or any white child to attend a colored school.”
Arkansas1903
"It shall be unlawful for any white prisoner to be handcuffed or otherwise chained or tied to a negro prisoner.”
Nebraska 1911
“Marriages are void when one party is a white person and the other is possessed of one-eighth or more negro, Japanese, or Chinese blood.”
What were Jim Crow laws?
Jim Crow laws were anti-black racism laws made in the South from 1877-1965. The laws were cruel, and segregated the recently freed blacks from whites. The white people in the South thought of blacks as second class citizens and believed it was God's will that whites were above blacks AT ALL TIMES. Most of the laws were enacted by bitter lawmakers who were jealous and angry at the North's victory in the Civil War.
How did Jim Crow laws show importance at the time?
Jim Crow laws were very important to both sides of the opinion on segregation. It was important to Southern racists, because it gave them hope and showed that they still had power and wouldn't back down from their opinion. They all believed that blacks were born to be slaves. They also enjoyed the laws because it legalized segregation, so technically if they were being cruel to a black person "it wasn't against the law." However, Jim Crow laws proved to be a tough obstacle for most Northerners, and of course, all African Americans. Blacks were joyous at the end of the war, now that they were free from slavery, however, these laws once again restrained their freedom of going to the same restaurants, hotels, and even cemeteries, as white people. It was a very sad time for blacks, and many got killed or tortured for breaking the new laws.
Do Jim Crow laws still exist? What was their impact on the world?
With the help of associations like the NAACP, Jim Crow laws were eventually abolished in the mid 1960s. The NAACP used court of public opinion and cout of law to prove that Jim Crow laws were wrong. It was a long and hard fight, and unfortunately, many anti-segregation whites and blacks were murdered for taking action against the laws. Jim Crow laws have had an intense impact on black people nationwide. This is because blacks lost so many privileges, from not being able to participate in certain schools, hotels, restaurants, and even cemeteries!!! Unfortunately, some segregation still does occur here in the U.S. Many people are arguing that blacks are enrolled in "dropout high schools" where they are practically being set up to fail classes and eventually dropout of their schooling. In the South there are still segregated proms! This is because proms are not sponsered by schools in the South, trying to prevent any problems, and the students must decide "what prom to attend." Last, there are still racist organizations out there, like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), who are out to kill blacks and other races, just because of their skin tone. However, if we all step in to stop segregation, it can and WILL be stopped.