The World of Jim Crow

Angela Brown

Chapter 17 Section 3

1

Voting Restrictions

Concerned African Americans would gain too much political power by voting

Began to require voters to own property and pay a poll tax or special fee

Pass literacy tests – much more difficult passages than whites

Grandfather clause – passage of legislation that exempts a group of people from obeying a law provided they met certain conditions before the law was passed.

http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/pm/1942/21012cs.jpg

2

Segregation

System of legal segregation called Jim Crow after a minstrel song-and-dance routine

1st railroad segregated passengers in Mass. in 1830s

Dominated all aspects of life in 1900s Separation in schools, parks, public buildings,

hospitals and transportation systems, water fountains, restrooms, theaters – African American facilities were inferior

http://www.cnn.com/US/9512/bus_boycott/parks_on_bus.jpg

3

Plessy v Ferguson

Supreme Court upheld the Jim Crow laws 1883 overturned Civil Rights Act of 1875

– guaranteed African Americans rights in public places

14th Amendment – could not prevent private organizations from discriminating

“Separate – but – equal” casehttp://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/tt_mitytimes_home_150x200_B.jpg4

Plessy argued equal protection laws violated in Louisiana by segregating public railroads.

Court stated 14th Amendment “not intended to give Negroes Social Equality but only political and Civil Equality – facilities were rarely equal.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/brown_v_board/imag

es/brown_family.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/brown_v_board/plessy_v_ferguson.htm&h=229&w=179&sz=15&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=wLU9ieEtuVSmRM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=84&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dplessy%2Bvs%2Bferguson%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en

5

Violence

Lynching – a mob’s illegal seizure and execution of a person

1882-1892 estimated 1200 blacks lynched Sometimes included mock trial, torture,

mutilation before hanging and being riddled with bullets.

6

Conditions in the North Decline

African Americans moved North to escape legal segregation.

Found de facto segregation White feared racial equality – race riots in

1900 NY City and Springfield Militia gained control of mob after two

days.

http://www.bendib.com/black/6-16-Lynching-apology.jpg

7

NAACP

National Conference on “Negro Question” organized by Mary White Ovington 1909

Niagara Movement leaders attended (Du Bois) Marked the founding of the NAACP – National

Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

1914 NAACP had 50 branches – 6000 members

8

Magazine edited by DuBois - Crisis - 30,000 readers

1915 victory – Supreme Court held grandfather clause on voting rights unconstitutional

9

African American Achievement

National Urban League, 1911, improved job opportunities and housing for blacks

National Negro Business League 1900 320 branches by 1907

1912 Madam C.J. Walker spoke to National Negro Business League

(Example of African American Achievement) She was the first African American woman to be

a self-made millionaire.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.africawithin.com/bios/cj_walker.jpg&imgrefurl=http:

//www.africawithin.com/bios/cj_walker.htm&h=370&w=224&sz=16&tbnid=9PyQ-U5-MCUZXM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=74&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmadam%2Bcj%2Bwalker&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

10