Jim Crow Laws

Time period Jim Crow laws existed

1870s-1960s

What was the Poll tax?

A tax that was paid to be able to vote. Blacks and poor whites were almost always too poor to pay the tax.

What was the Literacy test?

A test that required reading.

What types of spaces were segregated?

Hospitals, prisons, schools, pools, the military, churches, cemeteries, restrooms, and other accommodations.

What was the significance of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court Case

It ruled that the policy of "separate but equal" was legal and states could pass laws requiring segregation of the races.

What was the meaning of "Separate but Equal?"

It's ok to keep the races separate if things are equal.

Examples of Jim Crow laws:

Legal segregation of: public schools, transportation, bathrooms, restaurants, drinking fountains, some clothing stores, beaches, job sites, entertainment venues, etc.

What were some reasons that made it difficult for African Americans to vote?

Poll Tax, Literacy Tests, Violence, transportation, intimidation

What is lynching?

Public and private murder of African American men, women, and children by hanging.

Who were the suffragists?

Suffragists were the people who fought for women to have the right to vote.

What amendment gave women suffrage?

The 19th Amendment

Why was it possible for whites to physically harm or murder blacks without fear of being punished or accused of the crime during the Jim Crow era?

The Jim Crow criminal justice system was made up of whites: police, prosecutors, judges, juries, etc.

What was the primary aim of the Jim Crow Laws?

They segregated and demeaned African Americans

How did black facilities compare to white facilities?

They were inferior and were not well-kept. Sometimes there were no facilities at all.

Who was the white entertainer that created the character "Jim Crow"

Thomas Dartmouth Rice

Why did whites claim it was okay to lynch African Americans?

To keep other African Americans in line.

The Jim Crow system was made up of the following three beliefs:

Whites were superior to blacks in all ways. Sexual relations between whites and blacks would produce a mixed race which would destroy America. Violence must be used to keep blacks at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

What is suffrage?

the right to vote