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 fourteenth amendment granted citizenship and protected people that were enslaved. This amendment was ratified in 1868. I believe this means that a man can not have his protection, immunity, life, liberty, or property taken away because of the color of their skin. So police can not deny me protection because of the color of my skin.

**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] Oh ya i remember that! I remember he sat on a white car when he was really black. Although he had a very light complexion but in Louisiana, it doesn't matter how light your skin is. He purposly sat in the white car to make a stament, and when this case got all the way to the supreme court his lawyer said that the sperate car act in Louisiana was a violation of the 13th and 14th amendment, which it is! But he was outnumbered in the courts. Too many supreme court justices said it was constitutional. Can you believe that! They actually thought it was so constitutional that they started to make public places even more segregated!

**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] Jim Crow was actually Thomas Rice. I think he was a actor that one day, happened opun either a young African American boy or and elder former slave. The person was singing a song called Jim Crow. Thomas Rice took the words and made up a dance to them. This became a huge sucess. He traveled all over the U.S singing this song. In my opinion, he wasn't that good! Anymway, this name spread, Jim Crow, and it became kinda offensive to some of us. And no I do not believe Thomas Rice actuallt wrote the laws, they were just named after him.

The schools that my children go to are segregated, they say they don't favor either race in schools but I think they do. There are seperate cars for railroads so those white folk don't have to sit with us. Are we really that horrible? People kept putting signs up that were racist. They said that this was a white bar only or no colored people allowed.
 * 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]

It had signs that were racist. The colored facilities were dirty and dark. Our houses were no where near as nice as normal white houses. The white children wear nice clothes while the black children wear torn upp hand me downs. There are riots for black rights on the streets every day.
 * 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]

Ya, nine black youths were charged with rapping to white woman. Falsley charged obviosly. This made me feel so mad. We were being falsley acused for something we didnt do. This just shows us how messed up our country is. It seems to always be the colors fault, right.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]