Life+in+Jim+Crow+America

**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 trying to help African Americans. The 14th Amendment said that African American's would get the right to citizenship and protect the rights of recently freed slaves. Due process means that the government cant deny the right of a persons life, liberty, and property if they are U.S. citizen. Equal protection of laws means that all U.S citizens have the same protection of laws within their state, and that the state cant take away their rights or try to make exceptions to the laws. It makes me feel safer and better knowing that I still have rights and feel protected.

**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] The Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson was that a 30 year old man Homer Plessy sat in the white car section of the train when he was black, but he could have clearly passed as a white person. Many found this to be un-constitutional and violating the 13th and 14th Amendments. The government found the case to be constitutional. Their were some justices who supported the outcome, but others thought it was unconstitutional. They then said that white and black bathrooms were constitutional as long as they were "equal." The "seperate but equal act," set place for many aspects of life such as going to the movies, eating at a restuarant, and also going to school.

**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] A young striving actor watched a black man singing a song about a man named Jim Crow, and this actor broadned on this topic and created the character of Jim Crow. He wore black makeup because he was white and created a big success with the character Jim Crow. He performed everywhere, but soon people got a very bad stereotype in there heads about african american people and Jim Crow is what they related a black person with. This bad stereotype though didnt last very long and soon Jim Crow was to be associated the set of laws and regulations. Though the nickname didnt last long it dehumanized black people and set bad racial pictures about black people.

Basically the Jim Crow Laws were laws that said that blacks and whites would be segregated and not to be together. It said that whites and blacks can not sit in the same areas on trains, they will not go to the same schools, bathrooms will be seperated, and so will drinking fountains! I was affected by the laws because I did not get the same equal rights as whites. They got better seats in theaters, trains, and they always got something better than us. We were never actually equal to them they always had the better things in life and we were never given a chance.
 * 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]

Some images that best explain the time period are pictures of lynchings. Also the signs which said "Colored Bathrooms This Way" and then another sign for white people. The images reflect on what was going on with the blacks and how they werent treated the same and should have been!
 * 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 9 young black youths got wrongly accused of raping 2 women. The boys were on a train and they got in a fight with some white hobos, and the white hobos were thrown off the train, but then they found 2 women in the corner of the train and assumed that the men raped them. They were sentenced to death and very wrongly accused. This made me feel terrible being a black in the south! I felt that I had to watch my step everywhere I went and thought that I would be wrongly accused of something very little! I was very hurt by how they handled the case.
 * 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] My friends and family did not like the Jim Crow either. They felt that we were emancipated but nothing really changed and there was much segregation. Nothing really changed and we were wrongly treated and it hurt. We felt ignored and it was awful.