Jim+Crow+Life

**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 new fourteenth amendment states that I am granted citizenship if I am a slave. It is designed to protect civil liberties and grant citizenship to my kind of people. Now we are equal and have the same privileges as any U.S. citizen. Just like any other person, "due process" is required, meaning that we have our own rights as any other white person. We also have "equal protection of the laws" meaning that the law should be colorblind.

**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 day because it still gives me chills about what that man did. June 7th 1892 Plessy was put in jail for sitting in the white section of I believe was the East Louisiana Railroad. Then later in 1892 he sat in the white section of a court case and identified himself as a black. He was arrested and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. His lawyer argued it violated Plessy's 13th and 14 amendment. 4 years later in 1896, the case was determined unconstitutional by 7 of the 9 judges. I believe the only good man was Justice John Harlan who talked about how our nation is color-blind. The impact of this was the "separate but equal" term meaning that we would still have separate facilities and places to go, but we would still be considered equal.

**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, I can't stand that name. Most people think it was a person, but actually it was a song written by Thomas Dartmouth. According to some it was first performed by a stereotypical black character. It started out as just another song, but it grew to be a huge success. It started out as another mean nickname for us, but it grew to become laws designed to oppress us.

First I know their was a law preventing us from playing games together (black and whites). Not even cards or checkers. This grew to become we couldn't even ride on the same train, not even go to the same school, not even marry another race. I couldn't even walk outside my own home and not see a sign promoting the separation of us. Then it got to be so bad, our kind was just thought to be inferior in every way possible.
 * 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]

Life for us was miserable. Their is no other way to put it. We were treated so poorly their were times where I didn't even feel like I belonged in this world. Every place we went we were shunned away or given bad looks by white folks. It just couldn't seem to get any worse and it just didn't seem like we were people.
 * 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]

I remember this incident so well because it really showed how terribly we were being treated. On a train in Alabama, a fight broke out between 9 black men and a few white hobos. Some of the hobos were thrown off the train and when the train was stopped, they were all put in jail. A few women dressed as men were aboard the train and out of fear of being in more trouble for having sexual relations with a few of the white men, testified against the 9 black men for rape. The all white court sentenced the men to death. This angers me so much as an African American. These people, obviously innocent, were tried for a felony and sentenced to death for something they did not do is just wrong and unfair. It really captures the what the time period was life for African Americans.
 * 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]