Jim Crow Laws were a series of state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. These laws were enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and mandated the separation of races in public facilities, transportation, schools, and other areas of public life.
The Plessy v Ferguson Supreme Court Case was a landmark decision in 1896 in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The case involved Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, who was arrested for sitting in a whites-only railroad car in Louisiana.
The result of Plessy v Ferguson was a devastating blow to the civil rights movement as it legitimized segregation and unequal treatment of African Americans. The decision allowed states to continue the practice of segregation as long as facilities for blacks and whites were considered "equal."
Disenfranchisement means the denial or deprivation of voting rights, usually to a specific group of people. In the case of African Americans in the South during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, various methods were used to prevent them from voting, including the following:
- Poll Tax: A fee that had to be paid before a person was allowed to vote, which disproportionately affected poor African Americans.
- Literacy Test: A test that voters had to pass in order to vote, which was often applied arbitrarily to deny African Americans the right to vote.
- White Primary: A practice in which only white voters were allowed to participate in primary elections, effectively excluding African Americans from the political process.
- Grandfather Clause: A provision that allowed people to vote only if their ancestors had been eligible to vote before the Civil War, which disenfranchised many African Americans whose families had been enslaved.
The 1906 Atlanta Race Riot was a violent outbreak in Atlanta, Georgia, where white mobs attacked black residents and businesses in the city. The riot was sparked by sensationalized reports of black men assaulting white women, and it resulted in several deaths and widespread destruction.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two prominent African American leaders and activists who had different approaches to achieving racial equality. Here is a comparison of their beliefs:
Booker T. Washington:
- Similarities: Both Washington and Du Bois were educators and activists who dedicated their lives to improving the lives of African Americans.
- Differences: Washington believed in a gradual approach to achieving equality for African Americans through vocational education and economic self-reliance, while Du Bois advocated for immediate social and political equality through higher education and activism. Du Bois criticized Washington's accommodationist approach and pushed for more radical change.
African Americans and Segregation:
What were the Jim Crow Laws?
Describe the Plessy v Ferguson Supreme Court Case.
What was the result of Plessy v Ferguson?
What does disenfranchisement mean?
Explain each method of disenfranchisement in the chart below:
Poll Tax
Literacy Test
White Primary
Grandfather Clause
Describe the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot.
Compare and contrast Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois using the chart.
Booker T. Washington
Similarities
WEB DuBois
1 answer