The Jim Crow Laws

Jim Crow Laws Between 1877 and the mid 1960s, the Jim Crow laws, enacted by many U.S. states after the reconstruction period, kept blacks and whites separate. Jim Crow laws were not just laws, they were a way of life. These laws are a horrific reminder of the racial barriers and segregation that oppressed an entire population. These laws were first established in the South. They then spread widely throughout the United States. The Jim Crow laws were legislation that banned blacks and whites from being together in buses, restaurants, bathroom, universities, etc. This made the whites superior to blacks, furthering racism. Blacks eventually responded by protesting for equal rights. The introduction of Jim Crow laws created racial tension between
These laws were put into effect before the civil war and originally passed primarily in major cities and states in the South. In the book Jim Crow Laws by Leslie V. Tischauser, the author states that “from 1881 to 1964, Jim Crow Laws separated Americans by race in 26 states.” The government told the people that “it was codified on local and state levels” and that it was “separate but equal” (Jim Crow Law). They laws prevented blacks and whites from doing daily activities together or being together. According to the article Jim Crow laws on the Gale U.S History website, “Jim Crow laws were most pervasive in the South.” The name of these laws originated from a minstrel routine called “Jump Jim Crow.” These minstrels were created by a white comedian named Thomas Dartmouth. Thomas performed these comedic acts that included song and dance done in
These laws were very racist because they separated people based on characteristics and believed one race was better than the other. Additionally the laws were made after slavery to try to prove that blacks would never be as equal as whites. Whites and people that were all for Jim Crow laws thought that “separate but equal” was fair, but none of the blacks were really equal. Around 1800-1866 black codes were put into place in which Jim Crow laws followed. This restricted the civil rights of African Americans, which made white people’s rights and black people's rights even more unequal. “The Black codes denied freed slaves to the right to vote,to possess any form of weapon, and to leave a job and move elsewhere.” (World History