Payne 1 Mercedes Payne Mrs.

Johal English lll January 30,2013 The Effects Of Jim Crow Laws

Why was the Jim Crow Laws such a big part of history? The Jim Crow Laws made it where African Americans and other races were segregated from whites. Also the Jim Crow Laws led to discrimination upon African Americans. The African Americans were not allowed to use the same drinking fountain, movie theater, restrooms, and schools as white people they had their own just for them. Many whites said they mandated the separate but equal status for black Americans. It was sad because African Americans and mexicans were as low as dogs. Theses laws lasted between 1877 and the mid 1960s. Even Christian Ministers said whites were the chosen people and blacks were cursed to be servants. A black man and a white women were not allowed to have any sexual relations and a black man could not even offer his hand to her without being at a high risk of being accused of rape. African Americans were not even allowed to show affection towards one another without it offending a white person. Kissing in public was not allowed especially, The Jim Crow Laws affected the way white people looked at African Americans and mexicans and consisted of segregation,etiquette laws,minstrel shows, and lynching. This affected America dramatically ,because by the 20th century there is still a lot of discrimination towards all different types of races of people. Jim Crows real name was Thomas Dartmouth Rice, he was a white man who played a black minstrel character. In 1828 he appeared on stage as Jim Crow he was a

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exaggerated ,highly stereotypical black character. Rice was the first person as a performer to wear blackface makeup on stage. In the 1838 Jim Crow was another racial word for African Americans but even though it was not as bad as nigger it was just as offensive. Jim Crow was a racial slur in that time period before the 19th century and then it was described as laws and customs which oppressed African Americans. The author Dr. David Pilgrim, expresses how It was sad how they regarded Rice as the Father Of American Minstrelsy pg.1. Because of Rice and his imitators they helped popularize the belief that African Americans were lazy, stupid, inherently less human, and unworthy of integration. Also because of all the racism there were many African Americans who were victims of lynching mobs. Rice made African Americans look lazy and dumb it was very wrong , he made them seem like less of a person just because of their skin color. If i was alive during this time this would make me feel very angry and sad that in this time period i would have been considered as the chosen people while all the African Americans would be getting discriminated. I would have helped make a movement to help get rid of the Jim Crow Laws. Some of the etiquette laws and segregation laws were, nurses that were women could not work in wards or rooms in hospitals in which an African American male was placed. In restaurants it was thought unlawful for whites and African Americans to be served food in the same room. The males had separate toilet facilities also. Intermarriage didnt count if you are a caucasian blood, mongolian, mayla, or hindu marrying an African American. Also African Americans and whites were not to marry each other nor sleep over at each others house , the punishment for those who did were 12 months of imprisonment or a 500.00 dollar fine. Even the mental hospitals were segregated they were not to be

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together. No African American barber could serve a white woman or girl. Wine and beer was not to be sold to whites and African Americans in the same store or at the same time. Another law was that the books shall not be interchanged between the white and colored schools , but shall continue to be used by the race first using them this law was from North Carolina. I do not think these laws should have been approved of. Also I believe you should be able to marry who you wanted if you love them it shouldnt matter their skin color and I think these laws were wrong. My reaction to reading about theses laws were anger how could people be that selfish to think their race was higher than anyone elses. Why did people let this go on for so long ? They must have been heartless, they wouldnt like it if it were them being segregated. It is sad to think at one point in time my race was so cruel and inconsiderate to another race and treated them with such disrespect. It angers me to read that even once they were dead they were still being segregated how could there have been so much discrimination to not have respect for the loved ones who have passed. The minstrel shows were shows that emerged from preindustrial European traditions of masking and carnivals. The U.S began having minstrel shows in the 1830s with working class white men dressing as plantation slaves. The minstrel shows became most famous and respected by the civil war. white performers would blacken their faces with burnt cork or greasepaint, dress in outlandish costumes and then perform song and mock African Americans. There were three well known characters in the minstrel shows and they were Jim Crow the stereotypical carefree slave. Mr. Tambo the joyous musician and Zip Coon the free black attempting to put on airs or rise above his station. The minstrel shows unpopular when African Americans asserted more political power in the 1950s. In my opinion

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people in this time period had a sick sence of humor and thought it to be funny to make African Americans look like fools. How could whites just sit by and watch as the African Americans got mocked ? I find it very strange how blacks couldnt play in minstr el shows unless they painted their faces with black face makeup , because the whites wanted to make sure they were dark enough to play the part. Which is dumb why would African Americans want to play in something that mocks their race? Also during the Jim Crow Laws there were cases of lynching in lots of the southern states during 1882 threw 1968. The rates in these states of lynching were in Alabama 299, Arkansas 226, Flordia 257, Georgia 492, Kentucky 142, Louisiana 335, Maryland 27, Mississippi 539, Missouri 69, north Carolina 156, Tennessee 204, Texas 352, Virginia 83 , and West Virginia 28 all of which were African American. The lynching of Claude Neal was the last of the so called spectacle lynchings. About 4,742 individuals were lynched between 1882 and 1968 of the victims 3,445 were African Americans. Typically the victims were hung or burned to death by mobs. Usually in front of thousands of people and some people even took body parts to remember the so called spectacular event. It is sick to know people could watch as someone was killed in front of their eyes and the fact that they were happy about it sickens me. How could they take body parts as a soviner as if it were fun being there what was wrong with people in this time period. What if it were them being hung or placed on a cross to be burned with thousands of watchers chanting for their lives to be ended. If I was there I would want to be a voice for the African Americans. I would stand up for their rights even if it meant I was at high risk of being killed. Richard Perloff states that a man says were just killing a few negroes that weve waited to damn long about leaving for the buzzards.(p.67). The Jim Crow Laws

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were such a big part of history because there was a life changing experience of discrimination that went on for years. It changed the way people looked at eachother then and the way they still look at eachother now. This topic about the Jim Crow Laws angers me and makes me sad but in the process of reading about them ,I had learned more about what all had happened to the people during this time. There were so many cases of lynching that you could not even begin to believe that 4,742 African Americans were lynched for varites of reasons but mostly because of their skin color. There was a lot of segregation and etiquette laws that prevented intermarriage and the separation of blacks and whites. Also along with that there were many minstrel shows that made fun of the African American race. This has changed my outlook on the 1800s and begging 1900s because it was a time of so much hatred for one another and so much sadness went on it hurts my heart to think about how people in that time most have felt. Expesically if they were African American or Mexican they went through the most hated time period . Its suprising how when you look at todays society and everyone at least simi gets along but there is still a lot of discrimination in all parts of the world and I believe it has to do with the Jim Crow Laws that is why all of this started. Would you stand up for the rights of another human being of a different race if you lived during this time? Or would you be to scared of the concequiences of standing up for another persons rights?

Works Cited

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Derloff, Richard M. The Press and Lynchings of African Americans. The Press and Lynching of African Americans. 2007. 5, Febuary 2013. <http://academic.csuohio.edu/perloffr/lynching/> Lynching. 2007. 5, Febuary 2013. <http://www.culturequest.us/ecomm/annstillman/monikajim crowlaws/lynchins.html>

Pilgram, Dr. David. Who was Jim Crow? Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. 2012. 31, January 2013. http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/who.htm