Life+in+Jim+Crow+America

** You and your partner are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in America. Using the links provided in this activity, respond to the “oral history questions” in first person. ** 
 * To set the stage for the civil rights movement, you must first understand the environment of segregation in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. What was life like in Jim Crow America? Cut and paste this information into a new page in your Unit 8 Online ISN.** 

**Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean?** [|14th LINK]

The 14th Amendment was one of the three amendments that guaranteed black rights. The 14th Amendement granted citizenship to all of us, or the people that were once enslaved. The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of all of us recently freed slaves. It did this by granting citizenship to anyone born in the United States and prohibiting states from denying the privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S., depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The due process of law is described as placing limitations on laws in order for judges to guarantee fairness, justice, and liberty. It also was designed to deny any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The equal protection of the laws can be seen as an attempt to secure the promise of the United States' commitment to the phrase that everyone is created equal.

**Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case?** [|Plessy LINK] I remember the case of Plessy v. Ferguson very well. A man named Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad. Homer could easily pass for white but under Louisiana law, he was considered black and therefore required to sit in the "Colored" car. I remember when Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act which legally segregating common carriers in 1892. But a black civil rights organization decided to challenge the law in the courts. The decison was made that seperate facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were equal. After this decision was made, some people had different opinions on it. A man named John Harlan saw the consequences of the decision. He calls our constitution color-blind and neither knows classes among citizens. He also wants all citizens to be equal.

**The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow? Did he write the laws?**[| Jim Crow LINK] The name Jim Crow is used to describe the segregation laws, rules and customs which started after 1877. There was a man named Thomas Dartmouth who was an actor in New York. He started the role of "Jim Crow" who was a stereotypical African American Caracter. The character of Jim Crow started giving white people the idea that we were singing and dancing fools. The phrase Jim Crow was being used to describe laws and customs wich were harsh and upset us very much.

There are many new laws now that really change my life. Some change my life in little ways, for example I have to go to a different drinking fountain, and at the Motion Picture show I have to sit on a seperate side than the whites. However, some really affect me. If I get sick and go to a hospital, I cannot get helped by a white nurse, even if she can treat me better than an African American nurse. If I go to prison, I will be kept in a seperate area than the white prisoners and have different mealtimes than them as well. My children have to go to segregated schools, and the African American schools are much poorer than the white schools. The Government gives them 2/3 less money than they give the white schools. This I really do not understand. Honestly, these laws are offensive and stupid. Didn't G-d make us all people???
 * What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you?** [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 1] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 2] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 3]

If I was to say one word about how Jim Crow America looks, I would say: sad. It is so degrating to stand in the "Colored" line when I go to public events. The whites look at me like I am some common ruffian, even though I am just as law-abiding as they are. I was at a Colored drinking fountain the other day and the water tasted bitter. I couldn't help but wonder if it tasted better at the white fountain. Sometimes when I walk down the street, white women avoid me or switch to the other side of the street. They could be fined if we were in a relationship, but I'm not going to hurt them. I just want to be friends. I believe if anyone in the future sees pictures of Jim Crow America, they would be as sad as me, and they would realize that Jim Crow is the worst thing to happen to America since slavery itself.
 * What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?** __ Jim Crow Images LINK 1 __/ [|Jim Crow Images LINK 2]

In the Scottsboro Case, nine African American boys were falsely accused of raping two white women. This began when a fight broke out between some African American and white hobos on a freight train. The white hobos were thrown off the train and reported it. When the train was stopped at a nearby station, the authorities found nine African American boys and two white girls in boys clothing. The women agreed to testify against the boys for assault, and 8 of the 9 were sentanced to death. The Supreme Court intervened and overturned the decisions on the grounds that the ruling hadn't been fair. 4 out of the 8 were freed and the rest were put on parole, except for Haywood Patterson, who escaped 3 years later. This case made me feel sick. I now feel like I can be convicted for anything for any old reason! However, I was very glad that the Supreme Court intervened. At least now I now that some of our Government is free-thinking and fair.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]

**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** [|Audio History LINK 1] All of my friends and family are just as appalled by Jim Crow America as I am. I know one man whose uncle died because of Jim Crow. His uncle was dying and they called a white doctor whom they knew was the best. The white doctor took almost 10 hours to come because he had to see all of his white patients first, even though they weren't as gravely injured as this man's doctor. The family called an African American doctor but he said he could not come because they called the white doctor first and the white doctor would be offended and mad at the African American doctor for "stealing his patient". When the white doctor finally came, he checked up on the man's uncle and left. The uncle died soon after. I know one woman who was always called the wrong name on purpose. Many white folks thought that "Olivia" was too nice of a name for an African American girl, so they called her "Susie". They could never get her name right, so she quit her job rather than be disrespected. Her bosses were very angry, however.