JimCrowAmerica

**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 gave freedom to all African Americans living in the United States. It did not, however, give us the right to equal treatment or the right to vote. "Due process" means that we can have fair trials according to U.S. law. "Equal protection of the laws" means that we are protected under the laws of the United States and that all laws apply to us too.

**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]

One man by the name of Homer Plessy decided to test the fairness of separated cars in Louisiana. So he decided to sit in the white peoples' car even though he was colored. He thought that this was unconstitutional, so he brought it all of the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated railcars were constitutional if both facilities were equal. They were not equal. This "separate but equal" theory led to segregated restaurants, schools, and other things.

**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 the name of a famous black character from performances. Many people thought that black people were like this Jim Crow character, so they started calling black people Jim Crow. This name then became the title for the laws that prevented black people from being equal to white people.


 * 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 Jim Crow laws include segregated public railcars, segregated schools, and void marriages between whites and blacks. These laws prevented me from having the same rights as white people. These hindered my ability to live my life how I choose.


 * 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]

Everything in Jim Crow America was segregated. Blacks did not have the same rights as whites did.






 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?**<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Scottsboro LINK]

Nine black people were falsely accused of raping two white women. The black men were all killed except for one - a twelve year old boy. This made me feel that no one thought that black people were worth anything, and it made me feel bad that people would automatically accuse people because of their race.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Audio History LINK]

They say that life was bad. They observed the Jim Crow laws firsthand and they didn't like how they were treated. Many of them exlained how much anti-african sentiment there was and how much racism was going around. They didn't like the segregation one bit.