EOTO-3 JIM CROW ERA

 EOTO-3 JIM CROW ERA 

The name "Jim Crow" was named after a character in a minstrel show. Thomas Dartmouth Rice was an actor from New York. He was considered the "Father of Minstrel". After traveling to the South and observing slaves, In 1930, he created a black skinned character named Jim Crow. The character was a caricature of a black man and was portrayed by white performers in blackface makeup made from shoe polish, greasepaint, or burnt cork and paint. These minstrel shows were popular in the United States in the 19th century and often featured racial stereotypes belittling portrayals of African Americans as lazy, ignorant, superstitious, and persuadable to criminal behavior. The picture below is Shirley Temple in the movie "Little Rebel" from 1935 with a black face.

The negative betrayals of African Americans aligned a period when southern states legislatures' were passing "Black Codes" to restrict the behavior of former slaves and other African Americans. Black Codes limited the rights of black people and exploited them as a labor source. The codes were also called the the Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow laws came to mean any state laws passed in the South that established different laws for whites and blacks. They were based on the theory of white supremacy and were a reaction to Reconstruction. Racism appealed to whites because they were in fear of losing their jobs to blacks. Jim Crow laws touch all aspects of life. In South Carolina textile workers could not work in the same room, look out the same window, or go through the same door. Many industries would not hire blacks, and unions passed rules to exclude them. Different races were not aloud to live on the same street or even the same towns. This also included schools, educational books and bibles, hospitals, transportation, restaurants and restrooms. In some states, blacks had curfews of being inside by 10:00 p.m. This "Separate but Equal" doctrine was used to justify these divisions but the reality was anything but equal .Jim Crow laws also targeted voting rights of African Americans making sure they had no political power and influence. Poll taxes, literacy tests and other discriminatory practices made it very difficult for blacks to exercise their right to vote. 

Despite the harsh system of Jim Crow laws, African Americans and their allies kept on fighting. In 1948 President Truman took action to promote equality. He urged Congress to abolish poll tax, enforce fair voting and hiring practices, and also end Jim Crow transportation between states. The new Eisenhower administration downplayed Civil rights but Federal courts took over. In 1954, nine Supreme Court Justices announced their unanimous decision in four racially segregated cases grouped as Brown v. Board of Education. This claimed that "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Racial segregation of children in public schools, hurt minority children, and was a violation of the 14th Amendment. 

The Civil Rights Movement gained strength in the mid-20th century, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations like the NAACP. Their efforts resulted in legal victories that dismantled the Jim Crow system, and peak a landmark legislation such as the Civil Right Act of 1964. This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on a basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Congress also increased the act and passed additional civil rights such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to overcome barriers and allow African Americans to vote under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. 

The Jim Crow era stands as a very dark time in American history marked by racial segregation, discrimination, and the denial of civil rights to African Americans. By understanding this era in time, we can better understand the struggles in the past and progress we have made towards justice and equality.

References: 

www.history.com

www.britanica.com