Jim+Crow+Life

 ** 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. **** You (and your partner, if you have one) 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. **

**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]

Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to people once enslaved. "Due Process" means that the states couldn't deny any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. "Equal protection of the laws" mean that everybody in a certain state has protection under these laws no matter what race or color of your 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]

A civil rights group wanted to over turn the Separate Car Act in Louisiana so they had a black sit in the white section of the car. It went all the way to the supreme court and they decided it was constitutional and wasnt going against the 13th and 14th Amendments. Because of this case it led to others and eventually a case came when the Separate but Equal act was over turned.

**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 a character, played by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice. He didnt write laws, he was an actor who acted like blacks were very stupid, and eventually Jim Crow became a racial slur.

**What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Jim Crow Laws LINK 1] / <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Jim Crow Laws LINK 2] / <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Jim Crow Laws LINK 3]

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Restricted real-estate covenant, Restrictive signs, and Housing development with sign. These laws affect us because we werent able to live in certain places, eat in certain, and go to the bathroom in certain places. ====

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**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__ / <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Jim Crow Images LINK 2]

"The Agony of Lynching", it explains what African Americans had to go through during these times, and it would get as bad as lynching. Also blacks would have to use different bathrooms, eat at different restaurants, and wouldnt be able to live in certain areas of town.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**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 youths were on a train going around the country looking for jobs when a fight broke out between a few whites and the nine youths. The nine youths were put in jail. After they found two white women on the train also and even though there was no evidence to support it, the nine youths were accused of raping the two women and all of them were sentenced to death with the exception of the youngest, a 12 year old. This case made us feel very bad, and we realized how bad blacks were treated, even if most people knew they didnt do it.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><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 1]