Jim Crow laws were mainly developed with the intention to separate the white and the black people from any form of contact. The rules explicitly mandated what came to be known as the de jure segregation throughout the entire venues that were considered as public facilities in the former Confederate state of America around the year 1890 with the introduction of Black’s status of “separate but equal 1 .” The laws extensively enforced massive racial segregation across the Southern US. Further, Jim Crow laws emerged immediately after the period of Reconstruction, and they remained applicable in the country until the year 1965. Evidently based on historical studies, Jim Crow laws played a key role in the institutionalization of various social, economic and even educational differentiation and disadvantages among the people of colour. Further, it has been shown that De jure segregation as applicable, particularly in the Southern states. On the other hand, the Northern aspect of segregation was a de facto-pattern of segregation focusing on housing as adopted and implemented by the private covenants, employment discrimination in addition to the lending practices in banking sectors.
In the name to heal the wounds between the South and the North, a majority of the white politicians stopped working to protect the African Americans 2 . Throughout the former neighboring states and Confederacy, the local government established a type of legal system that was intended to re-establish a unique form of society that was explicitly founded on white supremacy. In this society, the African Americans were greatly barred from participating in the voting activities. The legislation that was passed came to be referred to as Jim Crow, and it was meant to separate the whites from the people of colour in various aspects including jobs, schools, public gathering places and even housing 3 . A Jim Crow root was firmly founded in the American landscape that defined the slavery. It articulated certain ideologies that emphasised black inferiority wrapped within the racist rhetoric, access to black’s private life in addition to a dignified white supremacy.
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Several people of colour were however elected into several local offices early 188s. However, the emergence of the Democrats implied the passage of laws aimed at making voting processes very restrictive which decreased the poor whites’ and people of color’s participation in politics. The first step to take away the civil rights of the blacks was achieved through denying them their right to vote, and this was through legal violence and maneuvering 4 . Public and private behaviour and relationships were created in such a way to separate the blacks from the whites. In the year 1890s, the Southern states had enacted an elaborate registration system, literacy test and the poll tax in addition to the whites-only Democratic Party primaries that excluded people of colour from voting. Throughout the 1890 and 1910, about ten former Confederate states had passed the amendment which significantly disenfranchised thousands of the people of colour and poor whites through many factors including literacy test, the requirement for residence record keeping beside poll tax 5 . Further, it has been shown that the grandfather clause allowed few illiterate whites to participate in the voting process temporarily but the same relief was denied to all the blacks. Arguably, the laws had been proven to be highly effective. For instance, in Mississippi, about 9,000 of 147,000 African Americans got registered as voters after the year 1890. Further in Louisiana which had 130,000 people of colour voters got registered around 1896 but the number plummeted to approximately 1,342 by the year 1904. The poll taxes demand that the citizens should pay a fee to be registered as a voter. Such a move apparently kept a majority of the African Americans and few poor whites from participating in voting.
The law did not only segregate public venues but other private areas including churches, waiting rooms, the restroom, prison, asylums and even cemeteries. It also extensively isolated the social relations. It was clearly established that the blacks and whites could not marry and this was articulated clearly in the Maryland law which stated that all forms of marriages between whites and black people or white to a person of Negro descent was prohibited and must be avoided. Even in the college sports, checkers and other forms of competition, the whites and Blacks could not compete against one another. For instance, in the Mississippi law, it was stated that any individual who will be found guilty of publishing or even circulating an argument to favour social equality or intermarriage between the black people and the whites would be guilty of the misdemeanor 6 .
Evidently, the laws affected the whites in a positive way compared to the Blacks population. The whites were in a better position to access the best services that were available particular in the public spheres including in the transport sector where they were using a first class train. The U.S. military was also segregated and could be accessed much easily by the whites because they were all considered as the federal region, established in the year 1913 under President Woodrow Wilson. Through demanding that all the potential candidates to present their photos, the administration significantly engaged in racial discrimination when it comes to hiring process where positions were majorly meant for the whites. Regarding occupations, the whites were able to access top jobs in the country while those inferior duties were left for the blacks. The whites were placed in higher positions that placed them over the blacks who managed to access any form of employment 7 . Institutions, public and private spaces and other critical facilities for the European Americans were significantly superior and well-funded contrasted to those meant for the African Americans that were mostly underfunded or did not exist at all.
The whites were portrayed as being highly superior to all the people of colour. This notion placed the whites over and above the blacks who were made to assume they were not equal to the whites 8 . For instance, in cases where a black used a facility meant for the white he or she would face trial for breaking the law the separated the whites from blacks. In addition to this, the whites easily accessed fair trial even in a crime that could attract severe punishment if committed by a black. Any arrest of the white person was followed by easy access to competent counsel and were favoured in the courtroom. In cases where a black lawyer appeared in court to argue a case against a white, the white judges and juries did not listen and made a judgment based on race 9 . The law clearly outlined that the people of colour must not ride with the whites and if one was found to go against the law faced the law with severe punishment. Media coverage significantly favoured the whites where news presented massively was dominated by the activities undertaken by the whites 10 . It was evident that the white quickly accessed the first coverage in media when compared to the blacks irrespective of the nature of the factor being covered. People of colour were prohibited from using the facilities meant for the whites and failure to observe such law often led to severe punishments for the blacks
In Conclusion, the Jim Crow laws restricted the social contact between the whites and people of colour and at the same time limit the opportunity and freedom of the blacks. There were offensive racial stereotypes that had dominated the entire American society. To a greater extent, there was massive reinforcement of the laws and customs that were highly discriminatory in nature, and they greatly oppressed the people of colour based on the religious background, race and even ethnicity. Arguably the cigarette holder in addition to many advertising cards throughout the 20th century depicted fundamental aspects of stereotypes of the African Americans, the Jews, Chinese-Americans and even the Irish Americans. Jim Crow term later became a derogatory epithet for the Black Americans in addition to a destination for their segregation. For instance, in Rome, Georgia, around 1943, there was a sign at one of the bus station that indicated a separate waiting area for the people of colour as defined within Jim Crow law.
Bibliography
Folmsbee, Stanley J. "The Origin of the First" Jim Crow" Law." The Journal of Southern History 15, no. 2 (1949): 235-247.
Klarman, Michael J. From Jim Crow to civil rights: The Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality . Oxford University Press, 2004.
Kousser, J. Morgan. "Jim Crow Laws." Dictionary of American History 4 (2003): 479-480.
Tischauser, Leslie Vincent. Jim Crow Laws . ABC-CLIO, 2012.
1 Folmsbee, Stanley J. "The Origin of the First" Jim Crow" Law." The Journal of Southern History 15, no. 2 (1949): 235-247.
2 Klarman, Michael J. From Jim Crow to civil rights: The Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality . Oxford University Press, 2004.
3 Tischauser, Leslie Vincent. Jim Crow Laws . ABC-CLIO, 2012.
4 Kousser, J. Morgan. "Jim Crow Laws." Dictionary of American History 4 (2003): 479-480.
5 Folmsbee, Stanley J. "The Origin of the First" Jim Crow" Law." The Journal of Southern History 15, no. 2 (1949): 235-247.
6 Klarman, Michael J. From Jim Crow to civil rights: The Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality . Oxford University Press, 2004.
7 Kousser, J. Morgan. "Jim Crow Laws." Dictionary of American History 4 (2003): 479-480.
8 Tischauser, Leslie Vincent. Jim Crow Laws . ABC-CLIO, 2012.
9 Klarman, Michael J. From Jim Crow to civil rights: The Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality . Oxford University Press, 2004.
10 Kousser, J. Morgan. "Jim Crow Laws." Dictionary of American History 4 (2003): 479-480.
