2.)+Jim+Crow+5.3.10

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]

This means that we get all the rights to citizenship. There can be no legal segregation by the government without a trial first and we are equally protected by all laws.

**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]

I remember that he deliberately sat in the white bus even though he was black. He was arrested and he took this to court. His lawyer said it violated the 14 and 13 amendments. He really set the stage for future complaints against segregation.

**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 song at one time. Once, a black man was singing this song and some white man decided to imitate him on stage as a stereotypical black man. He really made the whole thing start up. This spread around and soon, Jim Crow was very offensive to blacks and it became the name for theses laws.


 * 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]

One law said that I couldn't play cards with a white man while another said that I couldn't go to school with white children. These were awful laws. I had some white friends that I would never speak to again.


 * 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]

This is a picture from that time period. This man only wanted water and he had to go to a different water fountain just to get it!

It was an awful time. These nine boys were falsely accused of rape of two young white women. They falsely testified. I felt like white men and women could do anything they wanted to us and never get caught.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** [|Scottsboro LINK]

**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** [|Audio History LINK 1]