Jim+Crow+Life

**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 14th Amendment provided citizenship, and protection of all persons born in the United States liberties. Due Process means that and citizen (person born in the U.S.) will not be deprived of his life, liberty, or property. Equal protection makes it that all citizens have the same protection as any other citizen.

**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]

Homer Plessy was arrested in 1892 for sitting on a "white bus" even though he could be considered white. This case was taken to the supreme court and argued that it was against the 13th and 14th amendments. The supreme court decided that separate buses, bathrooms, and other facilities was constitutional as long as it was "equal". This case set forth more cases in which blacks would rise up against their segregation, eventually leading to not having segregated facilities.

**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 is actually a character made up. He is a very stereotypical black man made up by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice in a song. Which eventually led to a screen act of Rice dressing up as Jim Crow and singing songs and dancing.


 * 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]

There are many laws seperating us blacks from whites, for example blacks arent aloud to play with whites, so If I met a white person that I liked, and even if he/she liked me back I would not be able to play with them. Schools were also segregated, so I would be in a school with just black children, and whites would just be in school with white children.


 * 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]

We had to deal with segregation every day, seperate bathrooms, drinking fountains, stores, schools, everything we had to do seperated from whites. During the 1900s it was a very segregated time, us blacks had to deal with insults and mistreatment every single day, the most common though was seperation. We wouldnt be allowed to be in the same building with a white person sometimes.


 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]

This case made me feel that people really did think of us as different people, maybe not as people. Seeing 9 young men convicted for something they didn't do makes me sick. Just because there were two women on the same train doesn't meant they are linked together in anyway, and to think that the women would lie about it makes me think, do they even care if we die?...

**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 family and friends all feel that Jim Crow America was a racist, segregated, terrible type of life for us African Americans. Although it was terrible we had to work through it in order to earn respect and hope that one day we will be able to be equal.